I've said it a few times now, but it is what it is. They finished at the bottom of the league last season and have a roster that matches their record, which top-tier guys clearly have no interest in coming to. They got outbid for a guy who didn't want to come here and likely wouldn't have come here without an offer closer to $26 or $28 million annually with more guaranteed money, which would have been ridiculous.
They've retained 11 players, including several key ones. On offense, they brought back Onwenu (that would have left a big hole), re-signed Henry and Bourne, replaced Gesicki (Austin Hooper), and have started adding depth at positions of need, albeit they still need to address receiver, and it could come through a trade given how things played out with Ridley since it's clear it's going to be tough to lure guys here.
I'm sure they're not done. But I mean, it is what it is. Takes two sides to get a deal done and what's gone down hasn't been from a lack of effort. The Brissett signing is what it is. He's a decent player and he knows Van Pelt's system and he'll hold it down for a year for whoever they draft next month. They weren't getting Mayfield, Cousins, etc.
But on offense, the team stinks - nobody wants to play here. It is what it is. And it's going to remain challenging until that changes.
Meanwhile, they've also quietly made some smart moves to bring key guys back on defense, (Jennings, and Dugger), and added Sione Takitaki, who is actually a pretty good player. That group is also getting back Daniel Eukale and Christian Gonzalez, albeit they still could use another corner and additional secondary depth, along with more help up front.
I mean, it's March 13th. It sucks Bill's gone, I would have preferred hiring Wolf/Highsmith and keeping Belichick, but that obviously wouldn't have worked, and again - there's nothing we can do about it. I mean, nobody's thrilled with what's gone down. But that's where we're at.
And the two you mentioned aren't here for reasons that have already been covered and were removed due to posts that had nothing to do with football. I'm not going to rehash that again.
So I guess the question I have is, what else do you want people to say? Are we supposed to spend the offseason lamenting Bill's departure? Call for Kraft's head? Scream for Jonathan to force his dad to sell the team?