When Tom Brady unexpectedly decided to leave the Patriots after the 2019 season, fans knew the next few years would not be pretty. The organization had not adequately prepared for life after the legendary quarterback, and poor roster development only made it that much worse. Even with a coach like Bill Belichick still on the sideline, it was clear that wouldn't be enough to keep the team afloat for too long.
It inevitably led to a lot of pessimism in the years since, with poor quarterback experimentation with Cam Newton and Mac Jones. It got even worse when Bailey Zappe was then thrown into the mix, assuring that things had sunk to a new low in Foxboro.
Topping it all off came the slow but sure sink to the bottom of not only the AFC East but the entire NFL, losing more games than they were winning to ensure they landed in the top-5 selections of the following draft two years in a row. It led Robert Kraft to make some harsh decisions, like moving on from Belichick after 20+ years and replacing him with Jerod Mayo, who only lasted one season due to his unpreparedness for the role.
Morale around New England was at an all-time low, and the Patriots became a laughing stock of the NFL. That remained the consensus heading into this offseason, but with the right hire of Mike Vrabel as the new head coach, and an admirable offseason thus far, there is hope again in New England that has been lacking for five years.
Mike Vrabel and Co. put together one of the best Patriots offseasons in recent memory
While most around the league have celebrated the Patriots' demise in recent years, it has been a drastically different era for those who have been fans over the past 25 years. The post-Belichick and Brady times were not expected to be easy by any means, but they weren't predicted to be so bad that they would drain the spirit out of the fanbase, either.
Things got so bad that Kraft wasn't shy about his disappointment when speaking to the media, making it even more difficult for fans to have any sort of hope about the future. If the owner, with all the power to make the needed changes, is not optimistic, why should they be?
That feeling seems to have subsided this offseason; however, it is much to Vrabel's credit. Not only has he brought back an age-old attitude for the Patriots, but his collaborative effort with Eliot Wolf has made for an impressive free agency and draft class that presumably put the Patriots back on the right path to be a competitive team again.
By signing some of the most sought-after defensive free agents in CB Carlton Davis and DT Milton Williams, and shockingly adding WR Stefon Diggs, to put together an A+ draft class of rookies across all seven rounds, conversation already suggest the Patriots could be playoff contenders this fall.
That has not been even remotely in the conversation since the Bills blew them out in historic fashion in 2021. But despite being said at the end of April, it doesn't feel premature or outlandish to say.