New England dove head-first into free agency to help improve its roster ahead of April’s 2025 NFL Draft. Those efforts have helped first-year head coach Mike Vrabel from a depth standpoint, however, that’s not enough. The Patriots are going to need to do much more if the franchise intends to move forward coming off their back-to-back last-place finishes in the AFC East, along with their seven-year drought without a playoff win.
“Relying on the draft — it’s what no one wants to hear — but this team has to find sustainability,” George Balekji said on NESN’s “Boston Has Entered The Chat” podcast. “They signed all their free agents and they got a lot older with the signings. (Robert) Spillane is 29, Harold Landry is 29, Carlton Davis is up there and deals with injuries himself. Milton Williams is young, about to enter his prime. Morgan Moses is 34. Mack Hollins is 32. They got older, the draft is where you need to find the sustainability. They can’t go out and spend like this and pay older vets like this every year.”
The Patriots have thrown their bids at some of the league’s premier wide receivers in recent years, failing to lure DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley and Cooper Kupp That hasn’t stopped the front office from improving, but it has cornered New England amid yet another crucial offseason in which the fanbase expects a response. Patience ran thin last season, then-first-year head coach Jerod Mayo was shown the door and the inability to move on from the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick chapter continues.
New England has over five weeks until draft night.
You can watch the full episode of NESN’s “Boston Has Entered The Chat” here:
