Getty New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft
The New England Patriots have struggled in recent years and one former player believes that the team is “basically irrelevant.”
Within the last three seasons, New England has only made the playoffs once and current ESPN analyst Damien Woody told the Boston Herald that he believes that the struggles of the team are upsetting owner Robert Kraft.
“I know this has to be eating Mr. Kraft up, that the Patriots are basically irrelevant. I know it has to,” Woody told the Herald’s Karen Guregian on February 26. “So go out there and make a couple of splash moves. Bring some spice and some relevance back to the Patriots. Make it interesting.”
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported in January that Kraft was upset with the struggles of the offense.
“My understanding is he’s made comments around the building that basically indicate he’s not happy with where the offensive coaching staff is right now,” Breer said.
Soon after, the organization sent a letter to season ticket holders discussing how the Patriots hope to improve.
“Unfortunately, our season ended sooner than we hoped (Sunday) afternoon in Buffalo,” Jonathan and Robert Kraft wrote in the letter. “While we always want to be playing games with playoff implications in Week 18, our expectation was to perform better throughout the season and to advance through the playoffs. We can assure you that no one in our organization is satisfied with the results from this past season.
“In the weeks ahead, we will be making critical evaluations of all elements of our football operation as we strive to improve and return to the playoffs next year,” they added.
Damien Woody Believes the New England Patriots Have Improved
While Woody mentioned New England’s struggles, he did admit that the franchise improved by bringing in Bill O’Brien.
“I think they made a step in the right direction bringing Billy O. back, because that was madness what they were doing last year,” Woody said. “So I’m glad they got a guy who knows what he’s doing. But they need weapons. They need difference-makers on offense. It’s not good enough just getting Billy O’Brien back. They need actual guys on the field that will make a difference.”
The New England Patriots ‘Dream Draft Target’
The next major event for the Patriots will be the 2023 NFL draft and according to Bleacher Report, wide receiver Jordan Addison is a “dream” target for New England.
“Officially, a few receivers are under contract for 2023,” wrote David Kenyon. “But it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Patriots cut DeVante Parker and/or Kendrick Bourne. Jakobi Meyers may have priced himself out of New England, and Nelson Agholor likely won’t be re-upped. As the Pats are looking at a glaring hole alongside Tyquan Thornton, Jordan Addison is a possible Day 1 starter.”
After spending the first two seasons of his collegiate career at the University of Pittsburgh, Addison played just a single season at USC and racked up 59 receptions for 875 yards and 8 touchdowns in 11 games for the Trojans per Sports Reference.
If Addison can put up similar numbers in the NFL, he would be a great fit for New England.