The "new" New England Patriots start 2025 from near rock bottom. A fact that contradicts that hypothesis is they have their quarterback. If you don't, nothing else matters. But they have Drake Maye, and that makes all the difference.
The reconstruction begins shortly in free agency. Mike Vrabel is piloting the ship, hopefully in all aspects, including roster construction. That's a positive. He's an experienced Head Coach who knows the NFL landscape. That alone is reason for optimism.
Another good scenario is that the AFC East is a Division that can be tamed. Of course, there are the stampeding Buffalo Bills to contend with. They're not going anywhere as long as they have the NFL's MVP, Josh Allen, around. But the Patriots have Drake Maye, and he and Vrabel create that optimism.
The Patriots can overtake the Jets and Dolphins this year
Are we getting a bit ahead of ourselves here to suggest the Pats can overtake the Jets and Dolphins in 2025? No, and here's why. First, the Jets are the (sic) "J-E-S-T," Jests, Jests, Jests. The Aaron Rodgers experiment flopped, and he's out.
The Jets are back to the perennial drawing board with another new Coach, Aaron Glenn, who's never been a Head Coach before and has no quarterback. It will be a surprise if Vrabel's Patriots don't relegate the hapless Jets to the AFC East basement, where they usually roost.
Next, the Miami Dolphins are a perennial tease. They have a decent head coach, Mike McDaniel, but their fortunes are tied to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and his health situation. If Tua plays, the Dolphins have top weapons like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to deploy. Yet, they fall short.
If Vrabel signs and drafts top players and not mediocrity in his critical positions of need; the Pats can go toe-to-toe with the Dolphins this season. Top players win big games. The Pats have just a few. They need several more to compete.
Vrabel's Job One is to bring in these players, and he has the cap space and draft positioning to do it. Quality is key. Sign top free agents at positions of need like left tackle, wide receiver, and edge. Then, draft to those positions and replenish a few more, like D-tackle and the O-line generally, and the Pats will be dangerous. But can they beat the mighty Bills?
The Patriots have the key ingredient to beat the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo left several top players behind in 2024 yet remained the AFC East powerhouse. Hats off to head Coach Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane. Vrabel and his personnel man, Ryan Cowden, must equal or surpass that pair if the Pats are to climb to the top of the AFC East again.
Vrabel's highest objectives are signing or drafting a left tackle or three, getting No. One and Two wide receivers, and, two or three quality edge players (he has none now, save maybe Christian Elliss), and one or two defensive tackles.
It's a tall order. Yet, he has the available cap space and high draft picks to make it happen. If Vrabel and Cowden meet those objectives, what might it mean? Exactly how far might the 2025 Patriots climb in one offseason?
The thought here is that it can mean anything and everything. After all, the Patriots have the key, Drake Maye. Everything else revolves around him. When you have a top QB, you always have a chance and a good one.
In 2024, rookie Maye had no pre-season first-team practice reps at all, and few for the first five games of that tanked season. This was total mismanagement of the prized rookie, and it no doubt helped cost Jerod Mayo and company their jobs.
Regardless, Maye still managed to throw for a 66% completion percentage with 15 TDs and 10 interceptions in 13 games, 12 of which he started. All this happened with a Swiss cheese offensive line that couldn't block cardboard cut-outs of defensive linemen and edge rushers.
In addition, he had no top wide receivers except solid slot receiver Pop Douglas. His running game was OK, but he had no game-breakers. (One should be added in the draft.) He had a solid tight end room, which helped. But with an N(O) line that afforded no pocket time to pass and no top receivers getting separation, it was a lost cause. Yet, he still performed splendidly, if not brilliantly.
Maye is the reason for the supreme prospective optimism. But it's justifiable if, and only if, Vrabel and Cowden provide him with many top-level accompanying players to assist. If they meet the objectives mentioned earlier, nothing is off the table, including besting Buffalo for the top spot in the AFC East and more.