The Offseason Champions! (THE BEST OFFSEASON OF 2025)
Summary: A new era for the Pats. Drake Maye might be the truth for New England. Man I cannot wait to see a successful Bill Belichickless era for the Patriots.
Patriots Deliver.
There couldn’t have been more of a dumpster fire roster in 2024 than what the Patriots marched onto the field. No wide receivers, no offensive line, no edge rushers. The lone bright spot was watching some of the throws Drake Maye made. I mean holy smokes the throw Maye made on the opening drive against the Bills was an absolute beauty. Safety over the top, cornerback Kaiir Elam draped all over his target Kayshon Boutte. He let it rip on a fade ball putting it in the only possible window to complete the pass for a touchdown. Playing behind the offensive line he dealt with last year especially at offensive tackle and with the lack of weapons he had there should have been no flashes whatsoever in his rookie year. At offensive line the Patriots haven’t done much to help him out in free agency, but getting Morgan Moses at offensive tackle for 3 years, $24 million was a decent move. He is 34 years old, which isn’t the best for sure, but he’s a vet with many successful years. Any able bodied man at offensive line is an upgrade at offensive tackle for the Pats. This was probably the most meh move of the Pats free agency. Where they did damage was on defense with Mike Vrabel’s identity being imprinted immediately on the New England Patriots organization.
The signing that really headlined the Pats free agency on defense was Carleton Davis III. He displayed his talent on the Lions showing he could shadow number one wideouts effectively. Back in Tampa he was lockdown as well. What he does beyond pass defense is the most intriguing part of Davis’ game to me. He is one of the best run fit corners in the entire league. He sets the edge and rarely misses tackles in the open field. One clear instance of this was when the Lions played the Houston Texans and Joe Mixon in 2024. On multiple occasions when Mixon tried to bounce outside to create a big play Davis came up and stuck him for a loss. A corner that can set the edge and play alongside phenom Christian Gonzalez is exactly what the team needs. He’ll take pressure off of Gonzo in coverage and the organization knows the $20 million they are giving Davis for the next three years is money well spent. Another huge impact player the Patriots brought in on an incredible value deal was Robert Spillane, former Raiders inside linebacker. Not many people follow Vegas closely, but when watching their games Spillane was everywhere on the field. He made 173 tackles and registered an impressive 5.5 sacks as the Raiders spark plug on defense. He’s set to make $37 million over the next three years and will slot right in as a leader in this defense that will anchor the middle of the field. After fortifying the secondary and bolstering their linebacking core the Patriots knew they must address their defensive line that seldom got to the QB.
The big splash on the d line came when the team decided to dedicate $104 million over four years to Milton Williams. The vision was that he'd come in and do damage alongside Christian Barmore in the interior. Williams had a breakout campaign last season for Philadelphia, but he entered games in spurts and was the benefactor of Jalen Carter’s constant disruption on the Eagles line. Williams has shown incredible promise as a pass rush threat and at 25 years old his ceiling may be more than worth the gamble of a lucrative contract. Only $63 million of that figure is guaranteed money so that shields the blow of him flopping in New England. Unlike Williams, their next signing of former Titans outside linebacker Harold Landry III is far less of a gamble. He has gotten to the quarterback every season and is a near lock for around ten sacks a season, which definitely is NEEDED for Vrabel and his defense. Landry isn’t going to blow your socks off, but he just gets the job done and for 3 years, $43 million you’ll take that anyday of the week and twice on Sunday. Landry is a guy that most teams would like to have because he’s a prototypical edge setting linebacker that flies around and is good for 70+ tackles. These signings raised the baseline for the defensive unit to a new level. Then they looked ahead to giving Maye someone to throw the ball to.
The first guy the Patriots inked a contract with Mack Hollins isn’t really all too impressive as a pass catching threat. He was signed for an incremental amount at $8.4 million over two seasons which seems insignificant. Although he’s not too dangerous he is a complete player. He blocks hard, is a veteran presence, and his frame allows him to make some big catches on crucial downs. The main guy brought in though to be Drake Maye’s go to weapon was Stefon Diggs for 4 years, $63.5 million with only $25 million guaranteed. Diggs has been a steady 1,000 yard guy. Even after losing his ability to beat defenses deep with ease, his technicality in route running allows for Diggs to always get open and be a reliable target for a young QB like Maye. He was producing in Houston before he went down with a non contact ACL tear, which is the main cause of concern for this contract. If the Patriots end up with one of the many potential breakout wideouts in this year’s draft, this signing could be phenomenal. The Pats need a deep threat to go alongside Diggs considering Stefon is 31 years old and just doesn’t have the same straight line speed he once had in Buffalo or Minnesota. If Diggs duds you cut ties with minimal cap implications, but Stefon still has at least two or three more years as an 850+ yard receiver. The most intriguing element of this deal and the draft is what they could do for Maye’s development. This year should see the team actually be competitive for the first time in a long while.
These signings all put the significant cap space New England had to good use and set the tone for the all important 2025 NFL Draft where the Patriots hold the fourth overall pick. Whether it’s defense or offense whomever they take should be a huge foundational piece for the organization. What happens before their selection will likely dictate the route in which they go.
