Patriots offseason outlook: Surrounding Drake Maye with talent has to be team's biggest priority
FOXBORO -- The New England Patriots have their new head coach in Mike Vrabel, and he'll soon build out his coaching staff. But if the team wants to enjoy any real success in 2025, the Patriots are going to have to add a lot of top talent to the roster.
For the Patriots to truly succeed under Vrabel, he's going to need executive VP of player personnel Eliot Wolf to have a great offseason. While Wolf drafted Drake Maye third overall last offseason, which gave the franchise a quarterback to build around, he wasn't able to put much talent around the rookie. This offseason, the priority is to surround Maye with as much talent as possible and put the team in the best position to succeed.
Unfortunately, the holes on the roster are not exclusive to the offensive side of the ball. Vrabel and Wolf have a lot of work to do this winter.
When asked Monday what kind of players he wants to bring to the Patriots, Vrabel retorted "good players," which he said was an inside joke with Wolf from their chats over the weekend. But there is nothing inside about that joke; it's one Patriots fans made throughout the 2024 season as the team's dearth of talent became more apparent by the week. By midseason, no one was really laughing at the joke anymore.
But Wolf is going to get another crack at it this offseason, and Vrabel is confident they'll be able to add some serious talent to the mix. The Patriots are armed with the most cap space in the NFL and own the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Expect the team to be aggressive in free agency and on the trade front, as New England looks to revamp its roster after two straight four-win seasons.
Here's a look at what the team has to accomplish during one of the most important offseasons in franchise history.
Patriots need to fix the offensive line
Giving Maye a top-tier target is important, but protecting the quarterback is even more paramount going forward. Especially with the aggressive nature or Maye's game. Vrabel said as much on Monday.
"Certainly, you look at the teams that are able to protect the quarterback and dictate the flow of the game offensively, making sure that up front we're sound, we're strong, whether that's through free agency or the draft, that's something that's critical," he said. "The D-linemen, they're getting better every year. They're getting more disruptive. They're getting bigger, more powerful. So as they try to disrupt our quarterback, we have to have some things that counterbalance that."
The Patriots were a dysfunctional mess along the offensive line in 2024, sending out nine different combinations over the course of the season. None of the groupings worked, as Patriots quarterbacks were sacked 52 times, tied for the fourth-most in the NFL.
New England's need along the line starts on the outside, with left tackle and right tackle both positions the team must address this offseason. Vederian Lowe at left tackle and Demontrey Jacobs at right tackle isn't going to cut it going forward. Both are nothing more than depth pieces.
Tackle should be a priority this offseason, though they get expensive in free agency. If that's the route New England goes, Baltimore's Ronnie Stanley will be the best available option. Veteran Tyron Smith (who spent last season with the Jets), Minnesota's Cam Robinson, and Pittsburgh's Dan Moore will also be out there in free agency.
There are a pair of intriguing tackles in the NFL Draft too, with LSU's Will Campbell and Texas' Kelvin Banks Jr. possibilities for the Patriots with the fourth overall pick.
The team should be set at guard with Michael Onwenu holding down the right side and Layden Robinson on the left. Center David Andrews should be back, but he'll be coming off a season-ending shoulder surgery and will turn 33 before training camp kicks off. Converted guard Cole Strange and Ben Brown will provide some depth at center, but it's a position the Patriots might want to start thinking about.
Anchoring the line with two tackles and then building out its depth is at the top of the New England's must-do list this offseason. Offensive linemen aren't the flashiest transactions, but are imperative for a team hoping to put together a winning mix -- and keep its franchise QB out of harm's way.
Patriots need to get Drake Maye a top receiver
Know what is a flashy transaction? Signing a top-tier wide receiver. And Drake Maye could certainly use one of those.
Given the franchise's inability to draft receivers, maybe Wolf and company should stay away from them this draft season. Last year, the Patriots ended up with Ja'Lynn Polk (second round) and Javon Baker (fourth round), who contributed a grand total of 13 receptions during their rookie campaigns.
Signing a receiver is also going to be a pricey endeavor, but it's a necessity. The Patriots have some solid pass-catchers in Kendrick Bourne and DeMario Douglas, and Kayshon Boutte emerged as a nice threat in 2024, but none of those guys will keep opposing defensive coordinators awake at night. Maye needs a guy who can really take the top off a defense and open up opportunities for everyone else.
Cincinnati's Tee Higgins is the biggest name on the market, as the Bengals are going to let him test the open market. Higgins has been one of the most productive receivers in the league when healthy, with 295 catches for 28 touchdowns and nearly 4,200 yards over the last five seasons. But "when healthy" is a big qualifier with Higgins, as he played in only 12 games in each of the last two seasons. Vrabel is a coach who likes players who play -- and play through injury -- so Higgins may not be a match in New England.
The best days are behind veterans Keenan Allen (70 catches for 744 yards and seven touchdowns with the Bears) and Amari Cooper (44 catches for 547 yards and four touchdowns for the Browns and Bills), but either would give Maye a reliable pass-catcher and would likely have a trickle-down effect on the rest of the receiving corps. Tampa Bay's Chris Godwin played just seven games in 2024 before his season ended because of a left ankle dislocation, but he's as reliable as they come at receiver. The 28-year-old caught 50 of the 62 passes he saw for 576 yards and five touchdowns before his injury.
And don't rule out the Patriots swinging a trade for a receiver, with DK Metcalf (66 receptions, 992 yards, five touchdowns for the Seahawks) and A.J. Brown (67 catches, 1,079 yards, seven touchdowns for the Eagles) potential targets. Vrabel drafted Brown (who grew up a Patriots fan) when he was in Tennessee, and could try to bring him to New England to give Maye a true No. 1 receiver. The Patriots have the draft picks to pull off a deal.
Wolf tried to bring in a top receiver last offseason when he made a strong run at Calvin Ridley and then attempted to trade for (and extend) Brandon Aiyuk. But neither were interested in coming to New England, because no one knew what Maye was at that point.
Now that Maye has provided a lot of hope at QB for the Patriots, New England should have an easier time convincing receivers to join the fray -- so long as they're willing to pay top dollar.
Patriots need to power up the pass rush
The New England defense suffered a massive regression in 2024, and a lot of it had to do with the team's inability to put pressure on the opposing quarterback. The Patriots had just 28 sacks last season, which ranked last in the NFL. The team had just one sack over the final five weeks of the season.
The pass rush was expected to take a step back when Matthew Judon was traded for a third-round pick just ahead of the season. But outside of Keion White, nobody was able to put any consistent pressure on the quarterback. That allowed passers to have as much time as they needed against New England, and that luxury usually led to them picking the Patriots apart.
Vrabel is going to make sure that the Patriots defense is a disruptive unit, but it's going to need some more talent to get there. New England should try to make a run at Philadelphia edge rusher Josh Sweat, a former Pro Bowler who had eight sacks 15 QB hits last season. New York's Azeez Ojulari is another free-agent option, after he had six sacks and 10 QB hits for the Giants in 2024.
Patriots need another corner
The Patriots will have a top corner in Christian Gonzalez for years to come, but they need someone else to play on the other side. Veteran Jonathan Jones is a free agent and is invaluable because of his leadership, but he's better in the slot and not as the team's No. 2. Marcus Jones is athletic as they come, but he's not big and should be utilized as more of a situational corner (and gadget player on offense) to maximize his play.
Minnesota's Bryon Murphy Jr. will be one of the top corners available, and he's going to be pricey after logging six interceptions, a forced fumble, and 81 tackles for the Vikings. He earned his first Pro Bowl nod in 2024, and at 5-foot-11, would give New England a bigger option than Jonathan (5-foot-9) and Marcus Jones (5-foot-8).
Another name to keep an eye on is Kristian Fulton, who had an interception and seven passes defended for the L.A. Chargers last season. Fulton is also 5-foot-11, and he played for Vrabel when the two were in Tennessee. The Titans drafted Fulton in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of LSU, though he dealt with injuries in each of his four seasons in Tennessee.