Patriots

What Patriots’ exec Eliot Wolf said about Drake Maye’s development, offseason regrets, and more

"We’ll kind of see how it goes here. Maybe he’ll be ready. Maybe he won’t."

Eliot Wolf and the Patriots are looking at a long-term rebuild in Foxborough. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

May 28, 2024

The ramp-up for the 2024 NFL season has already commenced in Foxborough, with the Patriots still in the midst of their OTA workouts in the fields behind Gillette Stadium.

As New England looks to take steps forward in its rebuild following a disastrous 2023 campaign, Patriots new executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf appeared on the “Up and Adams Show” Tuesday morning — touching on several subjects, including the plan for Drake Maye’s rookie year, free-agent spending, and any regrets from the past year.

Here are several takeaways from Wolf’s extended interview:

Preaching patience with Drake Maye

The Patriots hope that they have a new franchise fixture under center in Drake Maye. But New England isn’t looking to rush the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft — especially if he needs more seasoning at this next level.

Wolf and the Patriots have crafted a deep QB room this offseason, with New England signing veteran Jacoby Brissett in free agency and adding another signal caller in Joe Milton III in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Maye’s strong arm and pro-ready frame are all hallmarks of a top-flight QB in the NFL ranks. But with Brissett capable of stepping into a role as a bridge starter in 2024, New England isn’t going to put undue pressure on Maye right out of the gate — at least if the 21-year-old rookie is not ready following training camp.

“I think those will be some important conversations to have. Right now, it’s Jacoby Brissett,” Wolf said. “He’s taking the first reps. We’re excited by what he’s shown – not only on the field but also on the field with his throwing ability. Then, Drake Maye, let’s be honest – we’ve had him for three weeks now. There’s a long way to go with all of our rookies and all of our players as we adapt to this new scheme that coach (Alex) Van Pelt is implementing offensively.

“We’ll have those conversations as they arrive. I’m sure it’s going to be a collaborative approach as it’s been so far with really all the big decisions that we’ve made. All four of the quarterbacks we have on the roster are working hard and ready to go.”

With New England likely staring at a multi-year rebuild as it tries to re-establish itself as a top power in the AFC, the Patriots do have the luxury of letting Maye find his footing at his own pace in 2024.

A strong training camp and preseason could accelerate his path toward starting reps this fall. But New England does have several contingency plans in place if Maye isn’t quite ready once the calendar flips to September.

“Every person and player is different. You have to be true to what you’re seeing and listen to the coaches and really understand who’s ready and who’s not ready,” Wolf said. “In this particular situation, Drake’s been with us for three weeks. We’ll kind of see how it goes here. Maybe he’ll be ready. Maybe he won’t.”

Not burning cash?

Jerod Mayo excited many Patriots fans in January by pledging that the team was going to “burn some cash” during the offseason.

But with the free-agency frenzy now long gone, New England still sits atop the NFL in available cap space at $52,248,659 — according to Over The Cap.

Even with the Patriots still operating with plenty of cap flexibility this season, Wolf pushed back against the narrative that New England didn’t spend heavily this offseason — with the team entering the winter with a little over $100 million in cap space.

“I would argue that we did spend money,” Wolf said. “We signed what we felt was the best offensive tackle in free agency and the best tight end in free agency. They just so happened to be guys that we retained. We gave Kyle Dugger a contract extension. We added pieces at almost every level of the team.”

Wolf is alluding to New England re-signing tackle Mike Onwenu and tight end Hunter Henry, with the team also retaining other key cogs like Dugger, Kendrick Bourne, and Josh Uche.

The Patriots also locked up a franchise fixture on defense in defensive tackle Christian Barmore, who reportedly agreed to a four-year, $92 million extension in late April.

“We were in on a lot of players (this offseason). Ultimately, at the end of the day, we just felt like they either just didn’t make sense financially — free agency is a hit or miss business,” Wolf said. “We were hit or miss in 2021 — we have a few guys that are still here and a few that didn’t work out — when we spent all that money. So every situation is different. We feel like we did what was best for the team.”

Any regrets?

Even though Wolf expressed relief that the Patriots were able to retain several key pieces in free agency, he did admit that he had one regret from the past few months.

And no, it wasn’t New England coming up short in the Calvin Ridley sweepstakes.

“My one regret so far from this offseason particularly with the draft – we had eight draft picks and only drafted one defensive player,” Wolf said. “I’ve apologized to (defensive coordinator DeMarcus) Covington for that. Obviously, he wanted what’s best for the team, too. That’s one regret I have so far, but we’ll see how it goes. We do feel good about the guys we have.”

Considering that New England tied for last place in the NFL at just 13.9 points scored per game in 2023, it comes as little surprise that the Patriots invested heavily on the offensive side of the ball with their draft capital.

Beyond adding Maye and Milton in the first and sixth rounds of the draft, New England selected a pair of wide receivers (Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker), two offensive linemen (Caeden Wallace, Layden Robinson), and a tight end (Jaheim Bell).

A playoff push?

The Patriots should be in a position to take a step forward after last year’s implosion under Bill Belichick, Mac Jones, and a flawed New England roster.

But does Wolf view this team as a potential playoff contender — even in a strong AFC East?

“Are the Patriots a playoff team? Listen, we’re not really playoffs or bust,” Wolf said. “I would say we’re just looking for progress. Jerod (Mayo) has a saying, ‘Process, progress, payoff,’ and that’s really something that we’re striving towards.

“We have a lot of good players on our team. We have a lot of things that didn’t go right for whatever reason the last couple years, but we have a lot of good players on our team and we’re hopeful that we’re headed in the right direction.”