Mike Vrabel pulls no punches on why the Patriots quickly moved past a potential Micah Parsons blockbuster deal
Mike Vrabel disclosed on Tuesday morning why the Patriots didn’t much consider adding Micah Parsons.
The availability of star pass rush Micah Parsons undoubtedly prompted some big conversations over the course of the past few weeks as it became increasingly apparent that the Dallas Cowboys could actually trade him. Parsons is a unique case — a bonafide star talent squarely in the prime of his career. Players like Parsons aren’t available very often, which is why his journey to Green Bay likely featured many other teams asking themselves if they should go for it. Among those teams?
The New England Patriots. But Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, in a recent interview on ‘The Greg Hill Show’ on WEEI, suggested that New England’s conversations about potentially acquiring Parsons were brief. New England was right to pass.
“Great player. But (Parsons) wasn’t something that we really invested a lot of time or resources in. I think when you just try to look at what we feel like is best for us right now, that wasn’t entertaining that specific transaction…I think we just have to be very smart on building this thing and I hope that everybody else sees it the same way outside of here. We want to bring in the best players that (we) feel like give us the best chance but also we have to build some depth here to this roster and you do that from the draft. It hasn’t been; we’ll call it what it is — it hasn’t been great. The depth of the roster has not been through our draft the last handful of years, and that has to change. We all know that. We’ll focus on that when we get there in April. Right now, it’s putting guys in roles that have some versatility and building the game day roster and these different things. I think the best teams in the league draft well, they develop their players, they re-sign them, and then they carefully choose the players they want to add in free agency.”
— Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel on exploring a Micah Parsons trade
There is, of course, always room for exceptions to the rule. Green Bay has historically been a team that doesn’t make splashy transactions and they’ve generally drafted well going back to the Ted Thompson regime. But every now and again, a “right place, right time” opportunity comes up for the Packers. Reggie White is an example. Charles Woodson is another. Brett Favre? You guessed it. The Packers traded for him after a rough year in Atlanta.
Vrabel is right to point out the state of affairs in New England, however. It is an unfortunately reality to live in, that Parsons being available was a case of “right player, wrong time” for New England amid a new coach and a roster overhaul that is going to require extensive amounts of investments to outpace the law of averages that comes with building through the draft. The Patriots desperately need picks. Parsons would have cost New England their premiere ones.
Perhaps if New England’s free agency strategy this year was different, they’d have been bigger players. Amid Vrabel’s call for discipline, patience and draft building, it is worth noting that the Patriots threw moneybags at free agents this offseason, spending over $179 million in guarantees during free agency this offseason. That’s a top mark in the league, as is the total value of contracts given, which surpasses $360 million. The primary players to show for it include WR Stefon Diggs, DT Milton Williams, CB Carlton Davis, and LB Robert Spillane.
That kind of spending doesn’t necessarily fall in line with Vrabel’s direction this morning, either — but the Patriots did have ample cap space and cash to spend, so getting the roster jumpstarted was likely a big priority for Vrabel’s first season. But multiple first-round picks, a record-setting contract, and an additional quality starter is a hefty price to pay for New England in their foundational years, so the team was right to pass it by fairly quickly —even if the rest of this offseason paints the picture of a team that is ready to contend.
All good things to those who wait…and Vrabel and the Patriots must hope their roster nucleus is much more stable the next time a “right place, right time” player becomes available so that they may really consider landing a big fish.
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