The New England Patriots heavily pursued one-star receiver early in free agency, and all the reports seemed to imply that it was between them and one other team.
But when it came down to it, they weren't able to close the deal.
Calvin Ridley, who previously played with the Jacksonville Jaguars and was also considering a potential return, ended up signing with the Tennessee Titans. And Patriots owner Robert Kraft revealed exactly why Ridley decided not to move to New England.
"We pursued the people we wanted in free agency. There was one outstanding receiver that unfortunately we couldn’t close. It was not because of finance," the owner said. "He made clearly his girlfriend wanted to be in the South. And we had a situation where the taxes were like almost 10% higher.
"We offered, or were willing to keep going at that premium, but he didn’t want to be in the Northeast. And part of it might be the quarterback situation as well.”
Ridley is a Florida native, so playing in the cold would be a big change for him. His career has taken him to Atlanta and Jacksonville, so he didn't feel New England would work out. And his wife was not ready for the harsh winters that would come along with it.
So for Mayo, after losing out on this top receiver, he has shifted his focus. And that is on players who will have no choice but to be with the Patriots.
“That’s right. One thing I would say, as you go through the draft, you want to get guys that are magnets. I played with the ultimate magnet in Tom Brady, where guys wanted to play for Tom, with Tom, and with the team," Mayo explained. "So it kind of gets skewed and now it’s the other end of the spectrum and it’s like ‘what pieces do we have to attract those outside guys.’
"Once again, if we draft a guy, you’re coming here. That has to be our philosophy as we continue to put this thing together.”
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