An in-depth look into the New England Patriots rebuild

During the 2000s and 2010s, few teams defined the NFL like the New England Patriots. Led by Tom Brady – a sixth-round pick turned six-time Super Bowl champion – the Patriots dominated for nearly two decades. But when Brady departed in 2020, the dynasty seemed to crumble, as Bill Belichick struggled to find stability under center. Now, five years later, the question is: how has New England managed to rebuild itself into a contender in the AFC once again?

Laying the Foundation

As good a coach as Belichick was, draft failures defined his role as General Manager of the New England Patriots. Because of this, after Belichick left the Patriots, the team had few pieces to build on. In Belichick’s last season, the Patriots finished 4-13, which was the worst finish during Belichick’s tenure in New England. The silver lining of this failure of a season was that the Patriots were awarded the third pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, which was headlined by Quarterbacks, something the Patriots so desperately needed. 

Elliot Wolf, Patriots Executive Vice President of Player Personnel, was now in charge of his first NFL draft. With their first round pick, the Patriots selected Drake Maye, a Quarterback out of the University of North Carolina. Maye was a highly-touted draft pick, and expectations were high for the rookie.

Even though the Patriots secured their QB of the future, the rest of their draft was a complete disaster. Their second-round pick, WR Ja’Lynn Polk, had high expectations coming to New England; however never found his place and was eventually traded to the New Orleans Saints. There are only two players from the draft class besides Maye still on the team: Caedan Wallace and Marcellas Dial. However, Wallace is a healthy scratch each week, and Dial is currently on IR.

The first draft post-Belichick, outside of Maye, was a complete dud for the New England Patriots.

The 2024 Season

Coming into the 2024 season, the Patriots touted one of the NFL’s poorest offensive lines. Because of this, the Patriots did not feel comfortable starting Maye from Day One. They went with Jacoby Brissett, a seasoned veteran and Super Bowl champion who had won with New England in Super Bowl 51. To open the season, the Patriots defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in a game that gave the Patriots’ faithful some hope. The offense was lackluster; however, the defense was impressive and stifled the high-powered Bengals offense. Unfortunately, the hope did not last long in New England. After four straight losses following the win against Cincinnati, Maye was announced as the starter for their week six game against the Houston Texans. Given the supporting cast that Maye had, he showed great flashes of his potential to be the long-term answer at QB in New England. He fought out some quality wins and showed grit in close losses. Aside from Maye’s success, Patriots coach Jerod Mayo drew some intense scrutiny from fans and the front office alike and was fired immediately after the last game of the season. The Patriots finished the season 4-13 and were rewarded with the 4th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. 

The Offseason and Draft

The Patriots left the 2024 season knowing that Drake Maye was their future. But, like with any Quarterback, he needed an offensive line to protect him and weapons to throw to. Luckily, the Patriots entered the offseason with substantial salary cap space and were eager to make moves. Their first order of business, however, was to hire Mike Vrabel as their new head coach. Vrabel played Linebacker for the early years of the Patriots’ dynasty, and had most recently been the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. Vrabel led the Titans to multiple playoff berths and was a big proponent of culture, something the Patriots were looking to build with their young quarterback. Once free agency started, Vrabel and the Patriots immediately started to build something special. In free agency, they signed defensive tackles Milton Williams and Khyiris Tonga, and edge rusher Harold Landry, to solidify the defensive line. They also added Carlton Davis to pair with Christian Gonzalez in the secondary. They rounded out their defense by signing tackle-machine Robert Spillane. On the offensive side of the ball, the Patriots signed receiver Mack Hollins and made a splash by adding Stefon Diggs. Along the offensive line, they signed veteran Morgan Moses to protect Drake Maye. They moved toward the draft with a need for an offensive lineman or two to complete the unit that will protect Maye.

With the fourth overall pick in the draft, the Patriots took Will Campbell, an offensive lineman from LSU who was considered the best offensive lineman in the draft. However, the Patriots didn’t stop there and added key pieces in running back TreVeyon Henderson, wide receiver Kyle Williams, and center Jared Wilson. All would play important roles in the offense during the season. They also picked up safety Craig Woodson in the fourth round.

The 2025 Season

Perhaps Patriots fans were the only people in the world who expected the team to be playoff contenders during the season; however, the season got off to a beyond rocky start as they dropped their home opener to the Las Vegas Raiders. Despite the loss, Maye looked better than the previous year, and their new additions played well. After splitting the next two games against the Dolphins and Steelers, the Patriots have now won seven straight games, with wins over the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Maye has been playing like an MVP candidate, and the defense has been playing great. 

The Patriots look poised to make the playoffs, and after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the sky is the limit for this team, and a lot of the success can be attributed to the moves the team has made in the past two offseasons.