The New England Patriots dynasty crumbled gradually, then suddenly. The signs of decline were even visible when Tom Brady dragged a decaying roster to the dynasty’s sixth and final Super Bowl championship in 2018. New head coach Mike Vrabel is trying to rebuild the glory days, though, and though it's only been a few weeks, Drake Maye is already bought in on the new feeling that Vrabel is bringing to the locker room, in addition to all the new pieces Vrabel's brought with him as well.
Over the past two seasons, New England finally hit rock bottom. The Patriots managed to win only four games in each of those two seasons, marking their lowest single-season win total since 1992. Once a model for coaching stability, the Patriots are now on their third head coach in the past three years. Mike Vrabel, another former Patriots linebacker from their dynasty, was hired in January to serve as the team’s next head coach.
Despite the team’s recent struggles and downward trajectory, there is optimism that New England will see brighter days ahead. Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, is poised to take a significant step forward after putting together an impressive rookie campaign with a limited supporting cast.
Drake Maye raved about Mike Vrabel and offseason acquisitions
Maye was asked about his early impressions of working with Vrabel during the team’s offseason training program, and the second-year quarterback raved about his new head coach.
“It’s been awesome,” Maye told reporters on Thursday, per the team’s website. “It’s been great with coach [Vrabel]. He’s come in here, and it seems like he’s been here a while. He’s so comfortable being a coach. He’s done it before, he’s done it at a high level, won a lot of games. Looking forward to getting things going. You can see he’s trying to install a new identity. I think we’re building toward that.”
Last season, the Patriots made the mistake of pairing a first-time head coach Jerod Mayo with a first-time general manager Eliot Wolf. It became apparent early that the duo was ill-equipped to turn around a struggling roster. Unlike Mayo, Vrabel is coming to New England with experience, having already found success and failure as a head coach during his six-year tenure with the Tennessee Titans. Vrabel led the Titans to the AFC’s top seed and an AFC Championship Game appearance, but he was ultimately fired after two consecutive losing seasons.
Wolf failed to deliver on a promise for a splashy free agency period last year, but he had much better results this offseason. The Patriots improved their offense with the additions of wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins in free agency, then added offensive tackle Will Campbell and running back TreVeyon Henderson with their first two picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“I’m pumped,” Maye said of the revamped offense. “I think a lot of new faces, a lot of guys, a lot of veterans that played at a high level. I think we found answers at a lot of different spots that can plug and play. I think that’s what the point of free agency is, to get guys that can help us win, help us win now.”
Now, Vrabel is hoping to take the lessons he learned from his prior experience to rebuild the fallen dynasty. In many ways, he has a blank canvas to work with. The last remaining pillars of New England’s dynasty all either left, retired or were forced out of the door. Brady, along with tight end Rob Gronkowski, left for sunnier skies and better receivers in Tampa Bay. Key figures such as Ernie Adams and Bill Belichick are no longer with the team. Mainstays on the roster — such as Julian Edelman, Matthew Slater, Dont'a Hightower and Devin McCourty — are all retired.
The injection of talent will surely help the Patriots, but it will take more than talent to win games. Vrabel will have to lay the foundation for the team’s chemistry, culture and continuity as he begins his coaching journey in New England.
