Here's an article from 2017 about how the Patriots pay the
"middle class" of their roster...
"The Patriots are cheap...They don't pay anybody! - Anonymous annoying guy in your office. Somehow it is still only Thursday. For Patriots fans, the only time that moves slower that AFC...
www.patspulpit.com
Here's an article about how the Patriots are scheduled to spend a greater percentage of their salary cap on veteran
"middle-tier" contracts than anyone in 2022.
The Patriots should have some financial flexibility with Mac Jones on a rookie contract, but as our Phil Perry writes, an inflated middle tier to make up for multiple draft misses complicates the books.
www.necn.com
The league isn't simply about
"talent," as much as it's about depth of talent. Football is a war of attrition. When Gronk got hurt in 2016 the Pats won a Super Bowl because they had Martellus Bennett behind him.... they wouldn't have won without him.
That middle class is why the special teams units have been consistently good for two decades. Ask Aaron Rogers if special teams are important after watching Green Bay's Special Teams units make four mistakes in the playoffs which ended their season.
The Patriots are shrewed negotiators, they pay the entire roster, not just a few superstars. That's the Patriot Way. I'm a Patriot fan, the fact they are financially savvy does not bother me, it's only a good thing. If Gronk really cared about money he could have accepted that trade to Detroit, they would have given him a monster contract extension.... but he knew a good thing when he saw it and fought to return. Now he's just being a salty hypocrite.