Patriots, Jerod Mayo 'ready to burn some cash' to help with rebuild - ESPN

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots are prepared to back up the Brinks truck under new head coach Jerod Mayo in hopes of returning the franchise to prominence.

«We're bringing in talent, 1,000 percent,» Mayo said Monday with a touch of humor on sports radio WEEI. «We have a lot of cap space and cash. We're ready to burn some cash!»

The Patriots have a projected $65 million in salary cap space, according to ESPN's Roster Management System. It is a fluid total that currently ranks fourth in the NFL.

The team is coming off a 4-13 season, which led to a parting of ways with coach Bill Belichick after 24 seasons. Mayo was quickly tapped as his successor, and owner Robert Kraft said last week that the plan is to empower Mayo and the existing personnel staff — headlined by director of player personnel Matt Groh and director of scouting Eliot Wolf — to rebuild the team.

Spending has been a hot-button topic around the Patriots in recent years, with Kraft previously saying he didn't set limits on Belichick, who had the final word on all personnel and budget decisions.

The Patriots ranked 30th of the NFL's 32 teams in cash spending last season at $188 million, according to Roster Management System, which analyzes every NFL contract. The Cleveland Browns were No. 1 at $282 million.

The Patriots were as high as third in 2021, when a then-record binge in unrestricted free agency resulted in spending totaling $222 million. But they were as low as 31st twice over the past decade — in 2020 and 2014.

Over the past 10 years, the Patriots ranked last in the NFL in cash spending at $1.62 billion, according to Roster Management System. The Philadelphia Eagles, at $1.92 billion, were tops over that span.

Mayo's remarks in Monday's