The silver lining for this Patriots team projected by many prognosticators to win just a handful of games is that, between a head coach switch and overhauled quarterback room, New England starts the year with a (mostly) clean slate.
Sure, Jerod Mayo and Jacoby Brissett are familiar faces around Foxborough – but not as head coach and starting quarterback. There’s a lot to learn this season. Here are five burning questions for the 2024-25 Patriots:
When will Drake Maye start?
Drake Maye’s starting date has been the biggest topic of speculation for the Patriots since his draft, at number three overall in the Spring.
Mayo’s comment that Maye “outplayed” Brissett at times in the tail end of the preseason indicates the just-turned-22-year-old has impressed, and maybe even surprised, the coaching staff with his progress. Maye showed out positively in his last two preseason games, but apparently, never showed enough over the summer to warrant regular reps with the starters. He’ll be on scout team and backup duty to start the year.
A number of factors will impact Maye’s starting date. Will he flourish behind the scenes, under the guidance of Ben McAdoo and T.C. McCartney? Will the offensive line be strong enough to protect Brissett, and eventually, Maye? Does Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf have a commitment to the “Packer Way” he referenced back at the NFL Scouting Combine, suggesting a red shirt season for Maye?
Early October presents back-to-back home games against Miami and Houston that could be a nice starting point for a rookie quarterback, should Maye continue to rapidly improve in practice and show himself competent in any early Fall garbage time. But if the Krafts put a spotlight similar on Week 7 in London to the Germany game the Patriots played last season, it could throw a wrench into any early season starting date. Waiting until New England’s Week 14 bye to further prepare Maye would only allow for four starts this season.
How resilient is Jerod Mayo?
Owner Robert Kraft extolled Mayo’s qualities as a leader and a person in his February introductory press conference. Well, he’ll be tested on all fronts as a rookie head coach with an unassuming roster of talent. Sharp Football Analysis ranks New England’s schedule as the second-toughest in the league (behind Pittsburgh). This team will start in a sprint against Joe Burrow’s Bengals, and Seattle may be the only vulnerable opponent they see before Indigenous People’s Day. The honeymoon is over. Will Mayo keep the support of his locker room through a season where wins are as tricky to come by as a weekend parking spot on Boston’s Newbury Street? Will his collaborative effort with Alex Van Pelt lead to an offensive improvement over last year’s disaster? Despite how bad it gets, Mayo is unlikely to see just one year as a head coach. Being Bill Belichick’s successor was never going to be an easy assignment, but ownership and the front office has tasked Mayo with a steep challenge in his NFL head coaching debut.
Will the defense remain strong without Belichick?
One point of continuity for New England from 2023 to 2024 should be the strength of the defense. Even with top players Matthew Judon and Christian Gonzalez injured in Week 4 last season, the Patriots gave up just the seventh fewest passing touchdowns, and fourth lowest yards per pass in the NFL. That defense returns Gonzalez from injury, but saw Judon traded in the preseason. Further complicating matters, defensive tackle Christian Barmore is indefinitely sidelined with blood clots. The Patriots’ schedule also has them facing a murderer’s row of quarterbacks, including Burrow, Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, and Justin Herbert. Former linebackers coach Mayo and now-coordinator DeMarcus Covington have their hands full with the side of the ball most fans have already penciled in with expectations to be very good.
How patient are the Krafts?
Robert Kraft told media at the NFL owners meetings in March his “hope and expectation is to make the playoffs.”
Was he talking about this year?
Glibness aside, making the playoffs in a division with Allen, Rodgers, and Tagovailoa in direct competition against Brissett is quite the longshot.
The Krafts clearly want to publicly maintain the high standard New England fans have come to expect. The current state of talent on the roster just doesn’t support that standard, and according to Spotrac, New England still has some $36 million in cap space for the season.
So RKK might say he expects a playoff game, but all indicators point towards comfort with a rebuilding year…so long as the arrow is pointed up, rather than the spinning wheel the team has found itself in the last several years. A team that improves week-to-week and a rookie quarterback showing signs of being a top-12 league talent would carry a lot of weight in judging the season a success.
Still, the Patriots haven’t won a playoff game since their 2018 Super Bowl victory over the Rams. The Krafts have to be wary of a lost decade of football after twenty years of unprecedented dominance. Which brings us to our final question…
Is it only up from here?
The post-Tom Brady era in New England has been one of fits and starts, but mostly fits. The rebuild starts in earnest now, with so little left over from the dynastic days. The biggest question of the entire season is whether this team is climbing out from rock bottom with daylight in sight, or if there are more painful seasons ahead. Ideally, this season will provide a clear foundation for New England’s future: a young, talented quarterback, above-average offensive weapons, and a consistently great defense. Asking for much more is pie-in-the-sky, Disney movie stuff.
Years of bad drafts, head-scratching decisions in free agency, and coaching drama landed this franchise in the league basement. It won’t take just one season to get back in the penthouse. This year is about ensuring the right way forward.
