Worst mistakes Patriots have made in post-Brady era

The New England Patriots have had some iffy years ever since Tom Brady left. What have their worst mistakes been during this time?  I think there are a few obvious choices here.  Brady leaving after the 2019 playoff loss to the Tennessee Titans was probably unexpected by quite a few in the organization and the fanbase.

The team has since enjoyed two lean years since then but one encouraging playoff season that was not able to be built upon.  We are already approaching the fourth season removed from Tom Brady’s last time as a Patriot.

There have been some puzzling and outstanding decisions made since Tom Brady left.  What have the worst decisions since Tom Brady departed?

Worst mistakes Patriots have made in post-Brady era

Signing Cam Newton and trying to make it work in 2020

The Cam Newton era was a giant mistake for the Patriots.  It just felt like they tried to make it work with him, and man, did it do the total opposite.  They had the 27th ranked scoring offense with Newton but did field a top 10 defense, as usual.

In 15 games, Newton threw for eight touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and had an 82.9 passer rating.  There were some flashes of decent play, but the Pats made a huge mistake here.  With Brady departing, they should have fixated themselves into more of a rebuilding team.  Perhaps enduring an even more lean year in 2020 with a bottom of the barrel would have put them in great position to land a top QB during the 2021 NFL Draft.