The New England Patriots know they have a few assets to attract external help and made themselves available to impact additions as soon as the 2024 season came to a close.
Robert Kraft and the Patriots fired head coach Jerod Mayo after Sunday’s Week 18 win over the Buffalo Bills. New England finished the season 4-13 for the second straight year and earned the No. 4 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Whether it’s Patriots legend and established head coach Mike Vrabel or Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, there should be attractive replacements on the open market. New England no doubt did the right thing by moving quickly on a Mayo decision in favor of attacking the head coaching market.
New England must be assertive in making the right moves and stating its case to qualified candidates. For as disastrous as this season was, the Patriots do have three areas of appeal:
Quarterback. Draft pick. Cap space.
The combination of an apparent franchise quarterback in Drake Maye, holding the No. 4 pick in the draft and roughly $130 million in cap space could help the new guy hit the ground running.
That applies to free agents as well, but the timeline of the offseason and overall priority comes in choosing the franchise’s next head coach, and believe it or not, those areas built the future for the Patriots.
New England is extremely deep in a rebuild but it cannot be emphasized enough that the Patriots already conquered the hardest developmental step in finding their next franchise quarterback. Maye is an absolute star and will only show that more in the future with experienced coaching and legitimate talent around him. New England cannot let the quarterback down in that pursuit.
The Patriots still have valuable a draft position, even after inexcusably fumbling away the No. 1 overall pick. They’re probably further in line to make that selection at No. 4, whether that’s at a skill position or finally making a serious move to address an abysmal offensive line, particularly at the tackle position.
Before they get to the draft, they’ll have plenty of chances to fill holes in free agency. The Patriots have minimal internal free agents to deal with and have to make a splash to expedite the rebuild. For example, there is zero reason the Patriots should not be the highest bidder for wideout Tee Higgins if he departs from the Cincinnati Bengals.
Those areas should appeal to candidates, but the Patriots must act accordingly to maximize those assets and bring potential to life.
