The New England Patriots challenged for an AFC East title once in the five years since they foolishly and callously kicked Tom Brady from the premises. That one year, 2021, they tossed away a possible title and bye week with a dreadful end of the season. They then were unceremoniously trounced and booted out of the playoffs by the Buffalo Bills in a humiliating Wild Card game.
The same personnel group, led by Bill Belichick, that oversaw the fall of the once-feared, then pitiful franchise remained in place in 2024 after Belichick was let go. The 2024 off-season team-building effort was as bad as or worse than before. They were destined for a last-place finish before a ball was snapped. Many from that front office remain, but there have been major changes.
Mike Vrabel and his team are now in charge, and it's making all the difference. In free agency, Vrabel and the new personnel team have already essentially totally remodeled the defense. It had sunk from the top of the heap to the bottom of the barrel. A new and exciting playmaking defense is on the way.
Mike Vrabel is in full transformation mode for the 2025 Patriots
Vrabel understood exactly what he was getting into when he accepted the Patriots' job. He had just a handful of top NFL players. The good news was he'd be armed with not only the most cap space in the NFL, but a top-four draft pick to boot. If the cupboard is bare, it's great to have a blank check to go shopping for groceries to fill it. He's done just that and has already made an impact.
Vrabel signed players who fit his new defensive philosophy. He's added playmakers like Milton Williams, Robert Spillane, Carlton Davis III, and Jack Gibbens. Together with Christian Barmore, Keion White, and Christian Gonzalez, it portends well for the 2025 team. Consequently, it spells trouble for the current kings of the hill, the Buffalo Bills.
Buffalo should be worried, very worried. They laughed off a meaningless last-game loss to the self-defeating Patriots, which cost the boneheaded Pats the first overall draft pick. Things have changed. Josh Allen's Bills won't be laughing, nor will they've the easy pickings they've had since Brady left. The balance is shifting south to Foxborough. It will also be reflected in a transformed offense.
Drake Maye and his new offense will spell trouble in Buffalo wing land
The Bills' worst nightmare occurred when the clueless Patriots' ownership somehow signed the right Head Coach. Mike Vrabel. He's an experienced NFL winner, was a playoff regular during his six years in Tennessee, and had also won the NFL Coach of the Year award. Amateur hour, New England is over.
Bills Nation is aware that the worm is turning in the division. They are astute fans and know that, given the right accompaniment, Drake Maye would be good enough to challenge for the division title. They're also acutely aware that the Patriots had no offensive line and no top-shelf wide receivers, except for Pop Douglas, along with a listless running back room in 2024.
With Vrabel in charge not only of the field operations but also, de facto, of personnel and everything else, big trouble is brewing for the Bills. Vrabel's initial actions are proving to be a nightmare reality. It will get worse when Vrabel has a chance to rebuild a fundamentally flawed offense, as well. That process has also begun.
Vrabel has added three veteran starters to his offensive line. All are upgrades over the waiver-wire types they rolled out last season. Expect Vrabel to further bolster that line by adding a critical piece, his left tackle. He needs a couple/few. He'll risk his season if he neglects the position, as the team learned in 2024. Expect him to go heavy on LTs in the draft.
He's also added a potential No. 1 wide receiver, Stefon Diggs. He's well-familiar to Bills' fandom, having been an integral cog in four division-winning teams in Buffalo after Brady left. The horror will escalate if the Patriots draft the best available wide receiver (and cornerback), Colorado's Travis Hunter. Adding a running back or two and a tight end will also add to the misery.
It's a fallacy that you can't transform an NFL roster in one offseason. It's the self-fulfilling prophecy of losing franchises. If you have a quarterback, a top personnel team, and cap space, it's eminently doable. Vrabel is overseeing that process. His team will be playoff-competitive, plus in 2025, the only season that matters. It's happening, and it's going to signal a long, cold, snowy winter in Buffalo.