Over the last three years, any optimism about the Patriots having a successful season has come and gone. What appeared to be a decent free agency and draft season never lived up to its potential, resulting in another losing record and a top-10 draft pick.
It seemed to reach a new low during the 2024 season and is likely what led to Robert Kraft to dismiss Jerod Mayo after just one season. That allowed Mike Vrabel to come in as his successor and have the chance to revamp the six-time Super Bowl Champion Patriots and bring them back to relevance.
The former linebacker and Titans head coach was given quite a task, but had the luxury of walking onto a team with the most cap space to utilize in the league and a top-5 draft pick that did not need to be used on finding their next quarterback. Vrabel took the opportunity and swung for the fences as soon as free agency began, doling out substantial contracts to some of the most sought-after free agents available, specifically on defense.
That has prompted some interesting new takes about how the Patriots' 2025 season will go, with some believing it won't be much better than what we've seen in recent years, mainly due to the lack of sufficient offensive help added to the roster.
However, there are others, such as FS1's Colin Cowherd and The Ringer's Bill Simmons, who offer more promising takes on the 2025 season for New England, as they believe the team is modeling itself after one of the NFL's most recent success stories.
NFL analysts believe the 2025 Patriots could reap the same rewards as the 2024 Commanders
One of the more impressive storylines of the 2024 season was the Washington Commanders' appearance in the NFC Championship with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and new head coach Dan Quinn. For a historically irrelevant franchise with new leadership and a roster of new players, it was not expected for them to be so successful that early on.
They finished the season with a 12-5 record, recording the most wins the team has seen since 1991, and their rookie quarterback performed so well he won Rookie of the Year for the season.
Their offseason catapulted them into a position to succeed after years of struggles, which is what Cowherd and Simmons see for the Patriots in 2025.
.@BillSimmons and @ColinCowherd discuss why the New England Patriots are poised to be this year's Commanders pic.twitter.com/8YHQmOtJko
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) March 25, 2025
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There has been some discussion about this possibly being in the Patriots' future under Mike Vrabel, especially with Drake Maye under center, so this isn't the first time we've heard of the potential replication of the Commanders' 2024 season.
However, they did have a few more solid pieces on their team than the Patriots did coming into this offseason, which could be the difference maker. They are fortunate to have signed the best defensive tackle in Milton Williams and a game-changing receiver in Stefon Diggs. But the bigger question is if they will be able to live up to the high standards set before them and prove Cowherd and Simmons right.
With Vrabel on the sideline, it seems that the Patriots' potential is much higher than it was just one year ago, so there is definitely a lot of optimism surrounding the team, even before the draft.
It will be more about who else they add to the team and the change in competitiveness that they demonstrate throughout training camp and the preseason to really determine if they have the tools to be this year's Commanders team or not, which is another exciting element to watch for this summer.