Why the Patriots sitting out much of the AFC's wild offseason is all part of Bill Belichick's plan

What's the method behind Bill Belichick's madness?

The New England Patriots opted out of the headline-generating portion of the 2022 NFL offseason.

As superstars changed teams and more than a billion dollars of contract value was handed out across the league, the Patriots mostly sat idly by. Head coach Bill Belichick retained some veterans — James White, Devin McCourty, and Trent Brown foremost among them — and lost others, notably All-Pro cornerback J.C. Jackson.

While the Bills added Von Miller, the Dolphins brought in Tyreek Hill and Terron Armstead, and the Jets spent more than $145 million in new free agent upgrades, Belichick’s big splash addition was … reuniting with a 32-year-old Malcolm Butler. In an offseason where the balance of power has shifted heavily toward the AFC, the Patriots have sat idly by, waiting for free agent losses to turn into compensatory draft picks.

This is a stark departure from 2021, where Belichick uncharacteristically dove into the marketplace to hand out more than $200 million in contracts to upgrade a franchise that had suffered its first losing season in two decades. That led to a return to the postseason behind a rookie quarterback, but also a 1-4 skid to end the year, capped by a 47-17 Wild Card rout at the hands of the Buffalo Bills.

New England clearly needed to get better this offseason. That need was exacerbated when the rest of the conference loaded up on stars either in free agency or via trade. But Belichick has sat back and waited for the rest of the league to take its shots instead. Why?

There are a few reasons behind this.