Looking ahead to the Patriots' 2025 schedule, there was a lot of optimism about what the rebuilt team could accomplish in Mike Vrabel's first year as the new head coach. Despite back-to-back seasons ending with a 4-13 record, the right moves appear to have been made to the roster, with an easy schedule that makes the path far more manageable, potentially paving the way for a playoff run as soon as this fall.
That might be presumptuous for some, but the roster and coaching upgrades, coupled with one of the weakest schedules in the league, have prompted those predictions. But with the latest trade involving the AFC East and one of the Patriots' upcoming opponents, the 2025 season just got a bit bumpier.
The Dolphins and the Steelers made a flurry of moves on Monday morning, engaging in two significant trades to shake up the AFC. Miami unsurprisingly sent cornerback Jalen Ramsey to their foes of the north to reunite with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, along with familiar tight end Jonnu Smith, for a late-round pick.
This creates a lot of chaos for the Patriots in their future matchups with both teams, making their potential wins less certain.
The first month of the Patriots' 2025 schedule won't be as easy as expected
The Patriots are set to square off with the Steelers in Week 3 at Gillette Stadium. Looking at the matchup made it appear as though the home team would have a good chance against a mostly underwhelming Pittsburgh roster.
However, the addition of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, even at this stage in his career, plus the arrival of D.K. Metcalf, Smith, and now Ramsey, will inevitably make their time against their former big-time foe more competitive —and not necessarily in their favor.
Although Rodgers has seemingly proven he should have retired a few years before the 2025 season, he is now surrounded by far more talent than he was with the Jets. He will now have an impressive receiver in Metcalf, who has crossed or barely missed 1,000 receiving yards every year of his career, along with Smith, who had a standout season in 2024 with the Dolphins.
Their secondary also improved with the addition of Ramsey, making Drake Maye's job a bit more difficult when trying to move down the field. That's on top of already hoping to avoid a sack by T.J. Watt, which will hopefully not be as easy with an upgraded offensive line.
The Patriots will visit the Dolphins a week before their matchup with the Steelers, which doesn't feel as intimidating as welcoming Pittsburgh to Foxboro. The loss of Smith is huge for their offense, as he was a massive part of their success last year, recording 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns, all of which were career highs.
They also just rid themselves of a shutdown cornerback by shipping Ramsey elsewhere, even if this appeared to be a long-time coming. The Patriots could easily expose their weakness in the secondary, and Maye should be able to easily accomplish that with the receiving corps he is expected to have.
The hope, of course, is that this won't completely derail the Patriots' first month of the season, and they will still be able to be the competitive team that Vrabel and Co. believe they have put together. It won't be easy against the Steelers, in particular, but the roster does look capable of making magic happen, and it would be best to see that as early in the year as possible.