Jerod Mayo 'ready to burn some cash' as the Patriots plan for new era after Bill Belichick... with New England hoping to add talent to an anemic offense that went 4-13 last season

The New England Patriots hit rock bottom after going 4-13 and essentially sunsetting their 'dynasty' era with a goodbye to Bill Belichick. Now, they'll look to start anew under head coach Jerod Mayo.

Mayo is ready to go to work. New England's roster is currently depleted of talent and as a result, they will look to free agency prepared to do something they haven't been well known for in the past two decades: spend a lot of money.

'We're bringing in talent, 1,000 percent,' Mayo told Boston radio station WEEI. 'Have a lot of cap space and cash. Ready to burn some cash.'

A majority of that cash will likely go to improving the offense - which ended last season as the third-worst in the NFL. They were just barely ahead of a Jets team that lost its big name quarterback out of the gate and a Panthers team led by a rookie QB who had almost no one to throw to.

New England will hope to not repeat those issues this year, with nearly every position on the offense available for upgrading.

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo plans on spending big in his first offseason with New England

Outside running back Rhamondre Stevenson and center David Andrews, New England has nine starting positions to fill. That's especially true for the quarterback, wide receiver, and offensive line positions.

Starting with offensive line, New England has free agent Michael Onwenu to re-sign and will also have Trent Brown hitting the open market.

While Cole Strange would be starting if the season began today, his performances last season leave some questions for his future.

Players like Dallas Cowboys OT Tyron Smith or Miami Dolphins OT Robert Hunt could be targets for the Patriots to pursue. 

At wide receiver, there's a plethora of options to choose from in this free agency class.

There are three bonafide WR1 options on the market in the form of Cincinnati's Tee Higgins, Tampa Bay's Mike Evans, and Indianapolis' Michael Pittman.

Other options include Jacksonville's Calvin Ridley and Arizona's Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown as well as Houston's Noah Brown, Buffalo's Gabe Davis, and Washington's Curtis Samuel just to name a few.

After whiffing on DeAndre Hopkins last offseason and making the awful decision to settle for JuJu Smith-Schuster, New England could need some pampering in the wide receiver department.

For an offense that was as-reliant on passing as the Patriots, its top receiver was rookie DeMario Douglas who caught only 561 yards and no touchdowns in 14 games played.

The Patriots pass-heavy offense was led by DeMario Douglas's paltry 561 receiving yards

(L to R): Michael Pittman of the Colts, Tee Higgins of the Bengals, Mike Evans of the Bucs

Which leads to quarterbacking. New England's days of having the greatest player to ever touch the turf under center seem long gone and there's an itch among those in Foxborough to find a solution and fast.

It won't come in the form of Mac Jones. Nor will the answer be Bailey Zappe. Neither quarterback performed well last season and fans throughout New England would likely want someone else in that position.

There are plenty of routes for New England to go down when it comes to acquiring their next quarterback whether it be free agency, a trade, or the draft.

Of those three, free agency seems the least fruitful. Kirk Cousins is the top available option, but at age 35, there might not be much of a future in New England. The same can be said for Ryan Tannehill, who will likely not be an option for the Patriots.

Baker Mayfield had a resurgent season in Tampa Bay and a pairing of him and Evans (a fellow Buccaneers free agent) could be successful in New England as well.

But, of course, New England's plans in the NFL draft could be the answer to all these positions of need.

Quarterback Mac Jones' poor performances likely cost him the starting job in New England

The free agency class for quarterbacks is poor - with Kirk Cousins as the top available target

Sitting with the third overall pick, the Patriots could be able to go with many options at quarterback, wide receiver, and offensive line.

With the Chicago Bears seemingly set on drafting Caleb Williams, New England will likely be faced with picking one of Drake Maye out of North Carolina or Jayden Daniels out of LSU (Chicago's choice could also lead the Patriots to trade for the Bears' current quarterback, Justin Fields).

A seemingly generational wide receiver talent also sits as an option for New England at third overall in the form of Ohio State pass catcher Marvin Harrison Jr.

Finally, the least likely option would be to go for one of the top offensive linemen in the draft in Notre Dame's Joe Alt or Penn State's Olu Fashanu.