After watching the Patriots fall to the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX in the fashion that they did, there doesn't feel like there is much positive to take away, despite the fact that they reached the Super Bowl in Mike Vrabel's first season as the team's head coach in the midst of an expected multi-year rebuild.
That feeling is especially true given the performances of some of the team's biggest stars, like Drake Maye, who struggled throughout the game, particularly with turnovers.
He had become a star in his rookie season, showing a lot of potential to be the franchise player the Patriots have been looking for since Tom Brady left, and that only grew in his second year by leading the team to a 14-3 season, winning the AFC East, and representing the conference in the Super Bowl.
Although many are feeling down about how he played and there will be a lot of negative conversations regarding his performance and future, there is one big takeaway that cannot be overlooked: the Patriots have one more season with Maye on his rookie contract to spend a ton of money to build the kind of roster he needs to win their next Lombardi.
The Patriots have one more season to upgrade their roster before it's payday for Drake Maye
Going into his third season, the quarterback won't be eligible for his first extension until after the 2026 season, and that's when the Patriots will have to take out their checkbook and award him with a ton of money and most of their annual cap space.
Drake Maye carries a 4 year, $240M ($60M APY) valuation in our system.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) February 8, 2026
However, he doesn't become extension-eligible until after the 2026 season.
Instead, he'll earn $4.1M next season, carrying a $9.9M cap hit with the #Patriots.
Because that won't be an issue they have to deal with for another season, it gives Vrabel and Co. even more reason to spend as much money as they possibly can to build their roster now before they will be more limited with Maye's extension, and if they were able to get to the Super Bowl with this roster, then improving it in the offseason will only make them stronger.
That doesn't mean another Super Bowl run is guaranteed, as we've seen even during the dynasty years, but it does look like they finally have the right fundamental pieces to make it more possible than it has been in a long time, which includes having Maye under center.