NFL free agency begins shortly, and the Patriots are predicted to be big players with $125M plus in cap space. Whether they are or not is questionable since they had a considerable sum last offseason and flopped in the market.
Why should things go better this off-season? It's a legitimate question. Arguments can be made that many of the same front office staff who botched the 2024 offseason remain in place. Additionally, the team's poorly rated player amenities have not yet been improved very much, though some progress has been made.
Regardless, certain aspects of the on-field elements have changed significantly. Let's explore why the Patriots may be a far better destination for 2025's top free agents than the team was in 2024. There are two major reasons, and we begin with the guy at the top, Mike Vrabel.
Patriots head Coach Mike Vrabel is an attraction himself
Patriots' new Head Coach, Mike Vrabel is a far more formidable potential attraction for free-agent players than former Head Coach, Jerod Mayo. Mayo was thrust into the top coaching role with no head coaching experience or even as a coordinator at any football level. His hiring was a poor decision by owner Robert Kraft (not Mayo's), and Kraft shouldered the blame to his credit.
Mayo wasn't ready to be a Head Coach. Vrabel is supremely qualified. For six years, Vrabel was the top man in Tennessee. There, he learned the ins and outs of being a head coach through trial and error. He experienced the highs of success, including three playoff appearances and being named the NFL Coach of the Year in 2021, and the lows. He was relieved of his duties after the 2023 season.
That experience and the success he's achieved matters to players on the way in, though realistically, for top free agents, their all-important payday is atop the list. Yet, with multiple teams potentially bidding and offering cash to the same players, having a top head coach in place is a supreme plus.
Good players don't want to settle into lousy teams for years to play for poor or inexperienced head coaches. They want to get paid and then win rings. Vrabel checks almost any coaching box that could concern a player.
In addition, he brought in two experienced and successful coordinators in Terrell Williams on defense and Josh McDaniels on offense. No on-the-job training is required for Patriots coaches in 2025, as was painfully necessary and evident in 2024. It's a subtle but big plus for the Pats this offseason.
Patriots super second-year quarterback, Drake Maye, is the second big recruiting plus
In addition to Mike Vrabel, the Patriots have another A+ recruiting tool to apply to attract free agents. It's their young, dynamic quarterback, Drake Maye. Maye's superb 2024 performance, despite having a dismal offensive line and no top No. 1 or No. 2 receivers, was a revelation.
With a poor supporting cast, Maye still completed 66 percent of his passes for 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. All that happened despite not being given almost any first-team reps in either training camp or the first four weeks or so of the season. That faulty decision not only wrecked the Patriots' season but severely impeded his development, as well.
It's unclear who ultimately made the ridiculous decision to go with the costly and ill-advised free agent signing, Jacoby Brissett, instead of Maye, the third overall pick in the NFL draft. Whoever did, that gaffe helped cost Jerod Mayo his job.
No matter, Maye, who backed into a Pro Bowl spot, will be a strong magnet for free-agent offensive playmakers who are well aware of his ability to deliver the ball anytime to any place on the field to Patriot receivers. NFL players realize that despite his sub-standard accompanying cast, he excelled. They also know that many of those deficiencies will be rectified with Vrabel in charge.
That's why the Patriots have an opportunity to attract top free agents this offseason. We'll see if this theory is accurate beginning on May 10, when the "legal tampering" period begins. Mike Vrabel's first two signings will be key. If they're top-shelf, the sky's the limit. If the Pats get shut out again, as in 2024, we could be in for another long, rainy spring.