The New England Patriots have been the team to beat over the last quarter-century. While the last half-decade has been a time of less success, it took the team only six seasons to recover from the departure of the greatest quarterback of all time ahead of the 2020 season.
Drake Maye looks poised to lead New England to the promised land over the next decade or more, with his sophomore campaign landing him second in MVP voting.
The transition post-Brady wasn't seamless, but it is proof of the organization's strong structure: it isn't easy to return to the Super Bowl after a seven-year hiatus, especially when the Jets haven't even sniffed the playoffs since then.
The recent addition of A.J. Brown should excite New England fans for more reasons than one. Aside from him being a top outside threat and the type of weapon that could propel New England to their seventh Lombardi, he himself is a part of Pats Nation.
A fan of the Patriots from the time he was a child, he admitted to crying in a closet when the Patriots passed on him for Arizona State wide receiver N'Keal Harry in 2019. That sort of pull the organization has isn't unique to Brown, though. Seventh-round selection Behren Morton grew up dreaming of playing in Foxborough.
Behren Morton playing for the Patriots is a dream come true
New England welcomed a new class of rookies in April, including Morton. The 234th pick from Texas Tech, Morton is the frontrunner to fill the QB3 role, as Tommy DeVito will be the backup in 2026 following the release of Josh Dobbs.
Morton doesn't have any competition for the role as things stand, but New England claimed DeVito off waivers before Week 1 of last season to fill out their quarterback depth chart. The ex-Red Raider will need a strong performance this summer to retain his role, but he's certainly the frontrunner.
While Morton's role with New England will be minimal barring a catastrophic series of injuries, playing for one of the greatest organizations in all of sports still means something to him: "The tradition, the legacy that New England carries, to have an opportunity to play for this organization, it's something I've dreamed of since being a little kid."
He went on to talk about the excitement that comes with playing behind a player as great as Maye, and that he's pleased to see significant reps in practice before the veterans return for the 2026 season. During an 11-on-11 portion of minicamp open to the media, he finished 12/12 passing.
If Morton can become a serviceable long-term backup, New England can mark their 234th pick down as a hit. The summer will be a time when Morton will need to establish himself as a strong developmental prospect, but the future seems exciting for a player who once dreamed of playing for the New England Patriots.
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