As soon as the 2024 regular season ended with the Patriots' second consecutive last-place finish, immediate attention shifted to the offseason.
Only one season into his tenure as New England's Executive Vice President of Player Personnel, Eliot Wolf undoubtedly had a lot of work to do, and it started less than 24 hours after the season finale with the firing of head coach Jerod Mayo.
Fans, media, and Patriots' personnel alike knew that this was an essential offseason for Wolf, thanks to the combination of a rookie quarterback on a cheap contract, the most salary cap space in the league, and a fan base hungry for ascension to the top of the league.
With the Patriots likely finished with big free-agent signings, Wolf has done exceptionally well this offseason, upgrading New England's roster in several key areas.
Eliot Wolf has put together a far better 2025 offseason than he did last year
Signing of Diggs has been the icing on the cake
New England hasn't had a big-name wide receiver in quite some time, and no Patriots wideout has cracked 1,000 yards in a season since Julian Edelman did so in 2019. And after missing out on some pristine targets, Wolf found his man in Stefon Diggs.
The Patriots thought they had found their top wideout for Drake Maye on the first day of free agency, but Chris Godwin turned down a hefty offer from New England to stay with the Buccaneers. And given Godwin is rehabbing from a fractured ankle, that's probably not a bad thing.
Diggs' presence not only gives Maye a viable deep threat who is one of the NFL's best route-runners, but should open things up inside for the rest of the receiving group. Wolf hit a home run with this one.
A long list of defensive additions have set the tone
The Patriots' aggressive nature was on full display on the first day of free agency with much-needed upgrades to their defense.
However, the most significant affirmation of Wolf's gung-ho approach was the signing of defensive tackle Milton Williams.
Williams, who might as well have pitched a tent in Kansas City's backfield in the Super Bowl, appeared all set to sign with Carolina before the Patriots swooped in with a four-year deal that will pay Williams $26 million per year.
Wolf also landed Carlton Davis III to pair up with Christian Gonzalez in the secondary, solidified the right tackle position with the signing of Morgan Moses, and the signings of Robert Spillane and Harold Landry, which ultimately made Ja'Whaun Bentley expandable, and made the linebacking core better. This defense will give the Patriots a lot of chances to win next season.
More work can be done during the 2025 NFL Draft
Wolf's offseason is not complete with the draft set to happen later this month. New England still needs to look at the left tackle position, whether via the draft or finding another free agent. Whoever is the best player available at No. 4, the Patriots need to take him, especially if it's Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter.
That being said, Wolf definitely gets an A for his work this offseason. The Patriots didn't do much to help Maye out last offseason, and it showed on the field more times than not. The roster is already miles ahead of where it was last year, and Wolf needs to complete the puzzle between now and training camp.