Perry: Maintaining strong leadership clearly still matters to Bill Belichick

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PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Patriots had a very different approach to free agency this season than they did a year ago. In fact, calling it "very different" qualifies as an understatement.

After setting a record for guaranteed dollars handed out last spring, the Patriots have done more sitting back and watching others wheel and deal this time around. Particularly in their own conference.

As the Broncos welcomed a new franchise quarterback, the Raiders added star power to both sides of the ball, the Bills added a Hall-of-Fame pass rusher and the Dolphins made a fast team faster ... the Patriots have largely stood pat.

Why? Because of all the spending 12 months ago. That's how Bill Belichick explained it during his media-availability period on Monday morning at The Breakers resort, where the NFL's annual meetings are being held this week.

"We spent a lot of money last year," Belichick said. "Those guys are all young, they're under contract."

There will be plenty of opportunity for last year's offseason acquisitions to do more in 2022. Tight end Jonnu Smith and receiver Nelson Agholor -- two of the team's most highly-priced acquisitions in 2021 -- would be foremost among them.

But this year's free-agent action in New England was more focused on maintaining what it has from a leadership and continuity standpoint. Among the first players brought to Foxboro were players already extremely familiar with the place: Devin McCourty, Matthew Slater and James White.

Why, Belichick was asked, was it so critical for those staples of the program to return?

"It's definitely important," Belichick said of their leadership skills. "It's part of the value that they have. But eventually some of those players aren't going to be there, just like some of the great players in the past, whether it be Tedy Bruschi and Logan Mankins, you can go right down the line. Willie McGinest, Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo.

"All those guys are multiple-year captains too. Troy Brown. Then eventually there's somebody else. It's great when you have them, but we all know it's not going to last forever. Other leaders need to develop. These guys all stepped in for somebody before them. And somebody will step in for them at some point in the future. That's just ... It's the NFL."

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Those comments echo that which was laid out by Slater during training camp last summer, and by Mayo himself earlier this offseason on the Patriots Talk podcast: The next young core of Patriots leaders needs to stand up and make itself known.

Does Belichick see that young core forming?

"I hope so," he said. "I think Mac (Jones) will step into those roles eventually. Start with that. Ja'Whaun Bentley. I don't think anybody was talking about him three or four years ago. That's how it develops."

Jones would be an obvious candidate to be a long-time captain as the Patriots attempt to rebuild a championship roster. Bentley has been a captain before and could assume that role again as the most experienced second-level defender under contract at the moment.

Damien Harris, Christian Barmore, Kyle Dugger, Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne are all 27 or younger and have established themselves as key contributors. David Andrews, Matthew Judon and Jonathan Jones are all under 30 and will be important pieces for the upcoming season.

There's a core there, but it now feels as though the Patriots are a few years into their roster remodeling and they remain a relatively old team. Headed into free agency, they were among the league leaders in spending on veteran contracts.

Belichick and his front-office staff continue to have multiple needs to address -- corner, receiver, interior offensive line -- with ready-made contributors. They could get to work on a trade. There are still a handful of capable free agents available. But nailing the upcoming draft will be a priority for the Patriots as they work to get younger and build up their nucleus of cost-effective talent that can help them to their next Super Bowl.

In some ways, where the Patriots are now feels similar to where they were when the core of their first iteration of their dynasty -- 2001, 2003, 2004 -- aged out and was turned over to a new group of mostly-drafted players who surrounded Tom Brady en route to three more titles. Between 2008 and 2012, the Patriots drafted Mayo, Slater, Sebastian Vollmer, Patrick Chung, Julian Edelman, Devin McCourty, Rob Gronkowski, Nate Solder, Shane Vereen, Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower.

The Patriots have had back-to-back productive drafts, but they'll need a few more -- or more hits per draft -- to approach that kind of run from over a decade ago.

Bringing back familiar faces matters. Slater, McCourty and White should help Belichick continue to maintain the culture he's worked hard to establish over more than two decades at One Patriot Place. And at reasonable rates. There's a reason they looked like free-agent priorities.

But even Belichick would acknowledge that leadership quotient only has so much value. At some point in time -- some time soon -- there's going to need to be another group that takes the torch.

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