The New England Patriots are on to the 2026 offseason after their Cinderella-like season came to a crashing halt in the Super Bowl. That loss certainly hasn't sat well with head coach Mike Vrabel, young quarterback Drake Maye, or anyone else affiliated with the team.
Yet, all does not seem lost as Bucky Brooks of NFL.com still thinks the Patriots will be a top contender for the Super Bowl in 2026.
The offseason is when great teams are built. Vrabel performed magic in 2025 as he revamped a lackluster roster by about 50 percent and transformed the AFC East's doormat into its top team — and took it to the Super Bowl.
Now, as the dust settles from the Super Bowl loss, Vrabel is challenged to repeat his feat this season and revamp a team that had glaring deficiencies that led to it being stomped by the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX. It's not going to be an easy task.
Mike Vrabel faces his biggest test after Super Bowl loss
Vrabel is faced with now patching up some huge holes in his offensive line and in his pass-rushing corps. These are necessities if the Patriots are to be able to climb Mount Everest again and maybe reach the summit and win the Super Bowl this time.
The Patriots are still rated as having the third-best Super Bowl window after the Seahawks and Rams, according to Brooks.
"The NFL Coach of the Year and MVP runner-up drive this ranking, but the pair will be in especially good shape if the Pats can add more playmakers and big-play specialists on the perimeter...the running back duo of Rhamondre Stevenson ... and TreVeyon Henderson ... is locked in place...Questions will undoubtedly persist about Will Campbell and Jared Wilson after the rookies struggled throughout the playoffs.
Ultimately, the organization must get the left tackle and guard on track, and keep growing the talent base around Maye. The veteran-laden defense is poised to return most of its top players except K'Lavon Chaisson...rising star CB Christian Gonzalez (who is extension-eligible) and 26-year-old DT Milton Williams keep the long-term outlook bright."
Indeed, as Brooks points out, when you have the essential core of the NFL's best head coach and a top quarterback in place, it's just incumbent on the personnel evaluators to put the rest of the pieces in place around that quarterback. If so, Vrabel will have to coach them up to reach the top.
Patriots remain contenders but major offseason work awaits
There are several key needs that Vrabel must address in free agency and the draft, specifically. One is the offensive line. The O-line was an improvement over the 2024 group, but not by a wide margin. They still surrendered 47 regular-season sacks and then struggled even more in the playoffs; they allowed 21 more, including a game-wrecking six in the Super Bowl. Don't expect much better unless Vrabel again revamps what was always seen as a stopgap 2025 offensive line.
Another top priority is revamping the edge unit. Harold Landry III will be back, perhaps after knee surgery. Yet, the other starter, K'Lavon Chaisson, is a free agent and may leave. The Patriots were out-sacked in the Super Bowl, 6-1, by Seattle. That plus two turnovers was the difference.
Those are the two top priorities. Vrabel also has others. How well he does in filling these holes will determine how the team performs against its much more difficult 2026 schedule.
No one said it would be easy. But the Patriots have Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye, and that's a great place to start.