With the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick days long gone, the New England Patriots are embarking on a new era. After team owner Robert Kraft hand-picked Jerod Mayo as Belichick’s successor, New England fired the first-time head coach after one season. The Patriots tapped former linebacker Mike Vrabel as the team’s new leader this offseason.
Despite a 4-13 record in 2024, the future looks bright in New England, thanks in part to promising second-year quarterback Drake Maye. However, all is not well in Foxborough. Specifically, players hate the team plane.
The NFLPA recently released their annual report cards, which allow team members to grade their organization on subjects ranging from food to head coaching to travel. Although the Patriots grew accustomed to being considered the NFL’s premier franchise, the team actually ranked 31st overall in this year’s report.
Patriots players were stingy, failing to hand out any grade higher than a B. But the organization did particularly poorly when it came to team travel, which received an F, per MassLIve’s Mark Daniels on X.
Patriots players want the team to invest in a new plane
The team travel report summary indicated a lack of personal space and an inefficient schedule. “Players want an upgraded team plane. The current plane is too small, there is no Wi-Fi available, and there are seats with ashtrays in the armrests. Players specifically responded that ‘our plane is the worst thing – size, space, safety’ and ‘it is not conducive to preparedness for athletic performance,’” the report read, according to NFLPA.com.
Interestingly, New England was only second-worst in the category as Buffalo Bills players gave their team travel an F- grade. Although the Bills’ complaints were essentially the same, echoing the Patriots’ gripes about personal space and an inefficient travel schedule.
New England players gave owner Robert Kraft a D grade, which was 29th in the league. While that’s not great, and it’s a bit surprising considering just a couple years ago Kraft was widely considered one of the best owners in football, it’s nothing compared to the scathing report card turned in by Jets players on owner Woody Johnson who ranked dead last.
Johnson received an F grade, making him the worst owner in the NFL. While Carolina Panthers’ owner David Tepper gave Johnson a run for his money, he escaped with a D-, leaving Johnson alone at the very bottom of the league.
The Patriots hope to turn things around in 2025, returning to their glory days with a former player turned coach and a reunion with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. The team also has a whopping $127.8 million in salary cap space to work with this offseason – the best financial situation in the NFL – which doesn’t hurt. Now they just need to fix that plane.
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