Grading the Patriots' Offseason One Week In: What is the Plan in Foxborough?

What on earth is the plan in Foxborough?

We all know the Patriots' 2023 season was unacceptable. In what has amounted to a public acknowledgment of that sentiment, new GM Eliot Wolf made a flurry of moves as free agency opened on Monday, from re-signing star guard Michael Onwenu to trading away Mac Jones for next-to-nothing. The goal this offseason is to begin rebuilding a roster that finished in the AFC's cellar, and the first few days of the 2024 offseason have shown a willingness to do just that.

But, not every move has made sense, and some seem downright pointless. Without further ado, here are the grades for every transaction the Patriots have made so far:

Trades:

Pats deal Mac Jones for a sixth-round pick

We all knew it was coming; the only things in question were where he'd be traded, and for how much of a return. The Jaguars ended up being the only team to make an offer for the former first-round pick, and it makes a fair bit of sense: Jones grew up in North Florida, and the team had a vacancy at backup quarterback.

The trade itself wasn't bad; the mismanagement of Jones and his situation up to this point was blunt organizational failure. The Jones-Patriots saga has been well-documented, and it ended with a talented (albeit flawed) quarterback being shipped for next-to-nothing. Yes, they're selling low, but Wolf had to trade him, and fetching anything for Mac at this point in his career is a decent trade.

Grade: C for the trade, F- for New England's management of Jones