The past five years in the AFC East have been a gift to the Bills courtesy of the Patriots' demise post-Tom Brady. That was extended an extra season after Bill Belichick was surprisingly fired, allowing the division to take advantage of another disappointing year. Buffalo became the new leaders of what was once referred to as the Patriots division, holding the title crown for five years in a row.
Because of that, there was a lot of hope that Robert Kraft would make another mistake as head coach and not bring in someone like Mike Vrabel, which has since become one of the Bills' biggest woes of the offseason.
That worsened with the additions of free agents made by the Patriots, including Josh Allen's former favorite target in Stefon Diggs and a widely considered A+ draft class by New England.
Many fans, and apparently now analysts, are projecting the Patriots could be a sleeper team in the conference, which could mean the Bills' days at the top are numbered. That could be considered a bit presumptuous, but it is already becoming a vocalized concern in Buffalo, with one radio host predicting Vrabel could lead the Patriots to a surprising feat this fall.
Buffalo radio host confirms fans' worst fear about the Patriots' impressive offseason
One of the biggest talking points stemming from this year's draft has surrounded the presumed success of the Patriots' picks. That was not the case during the 2024 offseason, so it's quite a turnaround for Eliot Wolf after being dragged for what he did just one year ago.
It's not an accomplishment being lost on the competition, either. Buffalo radio host Jeremy White shared his projection of the Patriots having such a good offseason that they could finish second in the division in 2025, based on how they've put together a solid roster and their last-place schedule.
RELATED: Patriots great knows exactly how Drake Maye's 2025 season will go
Considering the Patriots have been a team to finish third or fourth in the AFC East over the last three years, it would be a huge success to be the runners-up in Vrabel's first season as head coach. It is even more astonishing given how much he needed to improve upon after the disappointment that was the 2024 season, so potentially making the playoffs one year later would be incredible.
Even if that doesn't come to fruition, it is a nice change of pace to see the Patriots' direct competition already predicting an unsettling future for their team solely based on the offseason moves Vrabel has made. We have yet to see how that will transition to on-the-field production, but they're already nervous about how good that could be, easy schedule or not.
It certainly adds another aspect to the Patriots offseason for fans to be excited about, which hasn't even been a consideration for over five years.