As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers enjoy one last extended break before training camp, we're taking a look at each team the Buccaneers are going to face during the 2025 season. From how those teams fared last year, to what they've done with the roster since, to some as-yet-unanswered questions – we want to get a better feel for what the Bucs will be up against this fall. Today's focus is on the New England Patriots, who brought in a franchise legend as their new head coach and spent big in free agency to stop a defensive slide and give young quarterback Drake Maye more effective weapons and protection.

2024 Results

The 2024 Patriots duplicated their record from the previous season, Bill Belichick's last at the helm, finishing 4-13 and leading to Belichick's preordained successor, Jerod Mayo, lasting just one year as the team's head coach. New England, which had finished last in its division for the first time since 2000 in 2023 – following roughly two decades as the greatest dynasty in NFL history – did so again in 2024.

The Patriots started the season on a good note, holding a loaded Bengals offense to 224 yards in a 16-10 upset in Cincinnati in Week One. Well-traveled quarterback Jacoby Brissett, on his fifth team in five seasons, began the season as New England's starter, with third-overall draft pick Drake Maye being eased into the action. The Patriots followed that win with six straight losses, and after the fourth one the team elected to turn to their rookie signal-caller. At that point, New England had scored an average of 12.4 points per game.

Maye had a decent debut in a home game against Miami, completing 20 of 33 passes for 243 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, though the New England defense gave up a season-high in points in a 41-21 loss. Two weeks later, Maye officially got his first win as a starter, though he left the game early in the second quarter after sustaining a concussion on a hit by Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood while he was sliding on a scramble. Brissett finished the contest and the Patriots won on Rhamondre Stevenson's one-yard run with 22 seconds left.

Maye returned to the lineup the following week in a loss to the Titans, then prevailed in a duel with first-overall pick Caleb Williams when the Patriots left Chicago with a 19-3 win in Week 10. New England's defense held Williams and the Bears to just 142 yards of offense and one conversion in 14 third-down tries. That would prove to be the Patriots' last win until the final weekend of the season.

Included in New England's second six-game losing streak of the season were one-score losses to the Rams, Colts and Bills, the lattermost game in Buffalo with Maye throwing for 261 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-21 decision. The Patriots and Bills hooked up again in Week 18, this time with Buffalo resting Josh Allen and many of its starters for most of the game. A loss would give the Patriots the first-overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, and the team pulled Maye – who had been bothered by an issue with his throwing hand in practice – after just one series. Rookie sixth-rounder Joe Milton promptly shined in his own NFL debut, completing 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions as the Patriots won, 23-16.

Though New England's offense struggled in 2024, finishing 31st in yards per game and 30th in points per game, the general sense was that the team had found its next franchise quarterback in Maye. The rookie out of North Carolina threw for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and was surprisingly effective as a scrambler, picking up 421 yards and 22 first downs on the ground. He did this with a supporting cast that lacked any serious threats in the wide receiver room and had trouble providing adequate protection up front. Tight end Hunter Henry led the team with 674 receiving yards while Stevenson had a team-high 801 rushing yards but averaged just 3.9 yards per tote.

New England's defense finished 22nd in both yards and points allowed and was susceptible to the run, giving up 131.4 yards per game on the ground. The Patriots also had difficulty pressuring opposing passers, finishing last in the league with sacks-per-pass-attempt rate of 5.25%. Keion White and Deatrich Wise tied for the team lead with 5.0 sacks each. The Patriots' defense finished the season with just seven interceptions. Standout defensive tackle Christian Barmore played just four games while dealing with blood clots.

2025 Arrivals

The Patriots were the league's biggest spenders in free agency in 2025, committing $359 million to a variety of veteran newcomers, primarily on defense but also with a couple key additions at receiver and offensive line. The headliner was former Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams, who got the biggest deal of any free agent at any position with four years and $104 million.

New England also came right out of the gate with the signings of Lions cornerback Carlton Davis for three years and $54 million and Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane for three years and $33 million. In addition, because edge rusher Harold Landry had been released by the Titans in the first week of March the Patriots had been able to nab him on a three-year deal before the official start of free agency. Landry compiled 19.5 sacks over the past two seasons in Tennessee. Former Cardinals defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga was added on the second day of free agency.

The Patriots continued to bolster their depth chart with one-year depth signings of outside linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson, safety Marcus Epps and linebacker Jack Gibbens. And while the first two days of their draft were devoted to building up Maye's supporting cast on offense, they did grab Cal cornerback Craig Woodson and Florida State defensive tackle Joshua Farmer in the fourth round. Woodson could compete for the slot corner role while Farmer figures to be part of the interior-line rotation in the absence of Davon Godchaux.

On offense, the Patriots largely remade their offensive line after allowing a 9.83% sack rate in 2024. That started with the free agency signings of former Jet Morgan Moses and former Viking Garrett Bradbury. Moses should start at right tackle while Bradbury may be the new starting center, though he should get competition from third-round draft pick Jared Wilson out of Georgia. The most important addition to that line, however, is first-rounder Will Campbell, the LSU standout drafted fourth overall and expected to step right in at left tackle.

A little later in free agency, the Patriots brought in wide receiver Stefon Diggs, most recently of the Houston Texans. Diggs lost half of his only season in Houston to a torn ACL and finished with 496 receiving yards, but he had topped 1,000 yards in each of his previous six seasons in Minnesota and Buffalo. He is expected to emerge as Maye's number-one target.

The Patriots also poached wide receiver Mack Hollins from the division-rival Bills; Hollins had 31 catches for 378 yards and five touchdowns last season. And in the third round of the draft New England selected Washington State wide receiver Kyle Williams, a deep threat with 4.40 speed and the ability to accelerate very quickly off the line.

The Patriots also sought a big-play element in their running game when they used a high second-round pick, 38th overall, on Ohio State back TreVeyon Henderson. Henderson is a breakaway threat and a good pass-catcher and should former a good one-two punch with holdover Rhamondre Stevenson.

The Patriots also signed quarterback Josh Dobbs away from San Francisco. Dobbs has been a spot starter in several different NFL locations, and given that the only other quarterback on the roster is undrafted rookie Ben Wooldridge out of Louisiana, he is almost certainly going to be Maye's primary backup.

New England used the end of the draft to reload at a couple special teams spots, drafting Miami kicker Andy Borregales in the sixth round and long-snapper Julian Ashby in the seventh.

2025 Departures

The Patriots made a lot of additions to their 2025 roster but didn't suffer too many losses. Long-time starting center David Andrews, who had opened 121 career games for the franchise though only four last season, was released in March and then elected to retire. The Patriots also reworked their quarterback depth chart, letting Brissett leave in free agency and trading Milton to the Cowboys along with a seventh-round draft pick for a fifth-round pick.

New England also traded away a starter on defense, sending defensive tackle Davon Godchaux to the Saints for a seventh-round pick in 2026. Two other key defenders signed with the Washington Commanders, as cornerback Jonathan Jones and defensive end Deatrich Wise each got one year deals to make the move. Jones started 44 games over the past three seasons and Wise tied for the team lead in sacks in 2024.

In addition, the Patriots released linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley who had started 62 games from 2020-23 but only two last year before suffering a torn pectoral muscle. The team's release of long-snapper Joe Cardona after the draft severed ties with the last player on the roster who had won a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots. Cardona promptly signed with the Dolphins.

Other Noteworthy Developments

The Patriots pulled the plug on the Mayo era quickly and turned back to another well-known figure from the glory days, former New England linebacker Mike Vrabel. Vrabel played linebacker for the Patriots from 2001 to 2008, playing in 125 games with 110 starts, winning three Super Bowls and famously scoring eight touchdowns on offense. He spent 2024 as a consultant with the Browns but had been the head coach for the Titans from 2018-2023, compiling a 54-45 record and leading his team to three playoff appearances.

The Patriots also brought back Josh McDaniels for a third stint as their offensive coordinator, a post he had filled from 2006-08 and from 2012-21. For their new defensive coordinator, the Patriots raided the highly-regarded Detroit Lions staff for Terrell Williams, who had previously coached under Vrabel in Tennessee.

Pressing Questions

Will an improved supporting cast help Drake Maye take a significant step forward after a promising rookie campaign?

The Patriots followed the strategy of most teams that believe they have hit on a rookie quarterback, trying to capitalize on the most valuable asset in sports by surrounding him with a good supporting cast. It remains to be seen whether their efforts will be successful, but the reworking of the offensive line and the additions of Diggs, Mack and Hollins should at least make it easier to judge what they have in Maye.

Maye didn't have a lot to work with in his rookie campaign but he displayed poise and an accurate arm and was one of the best scramblers in the league. The rookie chose the right moments to scramble and of his 421 rushing yards, 407 came when he decided to tuck it and run. The Patriots used the third-overall pick on the UNC star because of his big arm, but he could prove to be a two-way threat in the Josh Allen mold with his scrambling ability.

There were some encouraging markers in Maye's Next Gen Stats, as well. He recorded a +2.0% completion rate over expected (CPOE), which was ninth best among all NFL quarterbacks with at least 100 passes. He also showed a willingness to make difficult throws, as his 15.4% of his passes went into tight windows, which was above league average.

And while McDaniels hasn't lasted long in either of his two head coaching stints he has generally had success coordinating the Patriots' offense. That was mostly done with Tom Brady under center, obviously; can McDaniels be able to elevate Maye's level of play in his second season, as well?

Will the arrival of Mike Vrabel and an offseason spending spree fix the Patriots' defense?

Last year, the Washington Commanders followed the hiring of a new head coach, Dan Quinn, with a free agency splurge that in particular loaded up on veteran defenders to reload the starting lineup. Washington promptly advanced all the way to the NFC Championship Game after finishing the previous season with a 4-13 record, though it's fair to attribute much of that to the incredible rookie season of quarterback Jayden Daniels. The Washington defense did improve, though; after it was dead last in both points and yards allowed in 2023 it finished 18th and 13th in those categories, respectively, in 2024.

The Patriots appear to be following the same blueprint after their own 4-13 finish. Vrabel's arrival was followed by an overhaul of the defensive starting 11, with as many as five new starters coming over from other teams: Milton Williams, Robert Spillane, Carlton Davis, Harold Landry and Khyiris Tonga. If those five are able to play up to expectations, the Patriots' defense could make a quick return to its previous form. Prior to last year, New England's defense had finished in the top 10 of the NFL rankings in four straight seasons; in 2024 it was 22nd in both points and yards allowed.

There were some very good pieces on the Patriots' defense before the spending spree, including cornerback Christian Gonzalez, safety Kyle Duggar and linebacker Christian Elliss. In addition, defensive tackle Christian Barmore may be able to return to full-time duty after his issue with blood clots last year. Mike Vrabel is already in the Patriots' Hall of Fame; if he can make this free agency alchemy on the team's defense work, they may have to give him a second induction ceremony.