How excited are you for this offseason?

[BaseballJones]

In just a few more days, the worst Patriots regular season since 1992 (so...31 years - longer than many SOSHers have been alive) will be over. Yet in the midst of this catastrophe, there's the potential for a tremendously exciting offseason. We have questions surrounding the GM and HC (presently the same person in BB, but who knows). We have the prospect of a very high draft pick. We have lots of cap space so there could be all kinds of big free agent signings. We may see a shift in organizational philosophy. We may see a brand new, offensively-minded head coach. We may even see Jonathan step in and be more of a force in the organization than he has been to date. There's so much circling around this organization.

So how excited are you for this offseason? What are you most looking forward to? What are you least looking forward to? What do you hope happens? What do you fear will happen?

 

[tims4wins]

Fear is easy. Same staff comes back, they don’t draft a QB early, and Zappe/Brissett or whoever are the QBs.

 

[DennyDoyle'sBoil]

2 on a scale of 1 to 10. I think we're still in the darkness phase and it's a long way out of the forest. $80 million or so in cap space should be interesting I guess but I probably won't pay attention until the Sox are out of contention. So a blip of attention in April for the draft, though frankly if we fall out of the top 3 I'm not sure I'll even care then, though I'll watch. And then probably I'll pay attention again in July/August.

 

[Cellar-Door]

Definitely the most interesting offseason for the Patriots in a long long time.

Looking forward to: High draft pick, what do they do with it, tons of cap, new QB

Not looking forward to: Coach/Front office chaos going into the biggest offseason opportunity, chance they don't add a young potential franchise QB (or go with a 2nd/3rd round type).

Hope happens: Keep Bill, go outside the organization's history for a younger OC (Kubiak, Bobo, Robinson), continue to bolster the front office (particularly pro-scouting, I thought the new look FO had a really good draft), draft one of the top 3 QBs (I would also consider Fields if the price is right, or we fall in week 4 and can't reasonably get one of the top 3)

Fear happens: Bill is fired and replaced with a Patriots adjacent retread coach who is worse, then a GM comes in without his own input on the coach and it's a massive mess (say... McDaniels or FLores, or worse yet, giving up a pick for Vrable).

 

[E5 Yaz]

Same staff comes back, they don’t draft a QB early, and Zappe/Brissett or whoever are the QBs.

I had this passing thought the other day that if the same coaching staff comes back, the starting quarterback next season would be

Spoiler

Baker Mayfield

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

As of right now, I'm cautiously optimistic.

What I'm looking forward to the most is seeing WHAT we wind up doing with our draft pick, rather staying put, trading up, or trading down. And might we splash for Mike Evans? Tee Higgins will likely be franchised. I'd also love to extend Barmore.

Least looking forward to is bringing back Trent Brown at LT. I really, really want to reset there.

I can squint & see a OL of X/Strange/Andrews/Sow/Onwenu being formidable, if Onwenu is resigned, & we can manage to get a LT in the 1st 3 rounds of the draft, or get Jonah Williams in FA.

What I hope happens is some how, some way we get both Jayden Daniels, & 1 of Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, or Keon Coleman. We'd need to trade up to get them after our initial pick. Suddenly, our WRs of Pop Douglas, Mike Evans, & 1 of those 3, plus Kendrick Bourne (whom I'd also like back) is suddenly...good.

We really need an X type of WR, IMO, & hoping we do something bold there.

What I fear will happen is that at Pick #5, with no trade down because Week 18 game results didn't go our way, is that we draft a Jer'Zhan Newton or a Terrion Arnold. While good picks in a vacuum (less so Arnold with McKinstry/King/Burke/Lassiter being available at 5), it would leave me disappointed.

 

[astrozombie]

Not really excited for this offseason, honestly. At present the Pats are in line for the third pick and a few mocks I have seen predict Williams/Maye go 1/2 and the Pats take Daniels 3rd (way too high for my liking and I would prefer that they get MHJ). Realistically, I imagine they try to get cute and trade down hoping a guy they want is still there and miss out on a true playmaker but collect a bunch of future thirds. I think they run back BB and his staff (plus or minus a few coaches on the fringes) under the idea that Kraft would much prefer BB get another shot at showing the last 3-4 years were an aberration and not having to be forced to cut ties or make a tough decision. BB maintains final personnel sign-off and they bring in a few low level assistants as window dressing for change. As for FA, I imagine they overpay Duggar and do fringe signings/reclamation projects with the rest of the money. They roll with Zappe again as QB and get a veteran backup. Basically, I think they pretend that the last few years and this past season in particular were a big old outlier and BB gets the green light to go ahead and do the same thing he has always been doing.
The *only* thing that I am looking forward to is the hopeful end of the "this team would be sniffing the playoffs and be a contender with a mythical league average QB" argument.

 

[Jungleland]

If they get a top 3 pick and keep Bill, my excitement is honestly probably an 8+. The bones of a great defense, a pick high enough to address QB or WR, and 80 mil in cap space almost guarantees an interesting March through May and would be extremely difficult to have me unexcited as camp opens.

If the pick is 5 and Bill is gone, especially for a familiar face, my excitement is much lower than that. I don't think Mayo will be a bad coach, and I don't think one of the tackles would be an egregious use of a high first round pick, but I am much more bullish on the next 3 years of the organization with Bill coaching and a highly touted QB prospect (or MHJ) than I am virtually any realistic alternative.

 

[astrozombie]

If they get a top 3 pick and keep Bill, my excitement is honestly probably an 8+. The bones of a great defense, a pick high enough to address QB or WR, and 80 mil in cap space almost guarantees an interesting March through May and would be extremely difficult to have me unexcited as camp opens.

If the pick is 5 and Bill is gone, especially for a familiar face, my excitement is much lower than that. I don't think Mayo will be a bad coach, and I don't think one of the tackles would be an egregious use of a high first round pick, but I am much more bullish on the next 3 years of the organization with Bill coaching and a highly touted QB prospect (or MHJ) than I am virtually any realistic alternative.

Real, non-snarky question: they get pick 5 and Bill is still here. How excited are you?

ETA: conversely, they get pick 3 and Bill is gone. How excited are you?

 

[jsinger121]

I’ll be a 10 out of 10 if the Krafts do the right thing and clean the entire operation and just reset this whole thing instead of just continuing to put bandaids on this. I want a new coach to come in with a new QB. I don’t want BB anywhere near a new QB. Sometimes you need to take a step back to move two steps forward.

 

[The Mort Report]

I'm worried if BB is still calling the shots as GM without any other input. The more I look back on the run with Brady, what made BB such a great partner to Brady was he was great at maximizing the roster. He'd find older FAs and use them in roles that highlight they're best skill even with diminishing athleticism(eg Harrison). He'd hit on late picks(eg Edelman). He'd trade for disgruntled players(eg Moss). However, he rarely drafted skill positions well with top picks, rarely dished out FA dollars to top end players. Brady gave BB a cheat code to maximizes his ability to find talent. Those Brady teams where always hungry and deep. Without Brady I just don't know if I trust BB with what is a very important offseason.

 

[DJnVa]

I'm excited about it because it's not something we have ever really gone through with the Patriots. That's exciting.

Yes, I'd rather be coming off another title, so it's not *better* than that, but it is exciting.

 

[Bergs]

I'm excited about it because it's not something we have ever really gone through with the Patriots. That's exciting.

Yes, I'd rather be coming off another title, so it's not *better* than that, but it is exciting.

Speak for yourself.

 

[DJnVa]

Speak for yourself.

To be clear, I'm old enough to remember those early 80s seasons. I just meant in the current era of overblown coverage, etc.

 

[NJ_Sox_Fan]

If BB stays on as HC, then very excited. Defense is good. There are (3) solid QB choices in this draft to address the problem. They have money to spend on FA.

 

[johnmd20]

Very excited. It's the first thing to look forward to with this team in months.

It really feels like it can't possibly get worse. Obviously 0-17 is worse but that's not happening. It can't get worse and it can always get better. The Patriots just need a full revamp on offense. And stop bringing in middling guys for decent sized contracts. Either get cheap guys and fill in elsewhere or get a stud! Or even two!

 

[FL4WL3SS]

I think, this year more than any, the Pats have had much longer runway to scout and analyze players knowing they are most likely picking top 5 since the middle of the season. It will be interesting to see how that shakes out in this draft as I think they are most likely spending more resources than usual on the scouting and draft process this year knowing how especially important it is this year.

 

[Rico Guapo]

Not really excited for this offseason, honestly. At present the Pats are in line for the third pick and a few mocks I have seen predict Williams/Maye go 1/2 and the Pats take Daniels 3rd (way too high for my liking and I would prefer that they get MHJ). Realistically, I imagine they try to get cute and trade down hoping a guy they want is still there and miss out on a true playmaker but collect a bunch of future thirds. I think they run back BB and his staff (plus or minus a few coaches on the fringes) under the idea that Kraft would much prefer BB get another shot at showing the last 3-4 years were an aberration and not having to be forced to cut ties or make a tough decision. BB maintains final personnel sign-off and they bring in a few low level assistants as window dressing for change. As for FA, I imagine they overpay Duggar and do fringe signings/reclamation projects with the rest of the money. They roll with Zappe again as QB and get a veteran backup. Basically, I think they pretend that the last few years and this past season in particular were a big old outlier and BB gets the green light to go ahead and do the same thing he has always been doing.
The *only* thing that I am looking forward to is the hopeful end of the "this team would be sniffing the playoffs and be a contender with a mythical league average QB" argument.

Possibly for a separate thread but why do you prefer Williams or Maye over Daniels?

Getting back on track, while I think it's reasonable to fear potential changes this off season, we wind up back at the top of the draft in two or three years if we miss on the QB pick/FA signings. I am not fearful of moving on from 71 year old Bill Belichick the GM particularly when it comes to shopping for groceries on offense. As has been mentioned elsewhere, they haven't signed a draft pick from rounds one through three to a second contract since 2013, thats absolutely atrocious regardless of the circumstances. While I hope he'd agree to some level of personnel oversight from a GM I fear he's too arrogant and stubborn to change his ways at this stage of his professional life. On the downside the defensive coaching/game planning will likely regress but thats a small price to pay in exchange for competent NFL offense (assuming all goes well with a new coach, new QB, and a new front office which is admittedly a lot of turnover).

 

[Mugsy's Jock]

If you're the type to get excited about any offseason, how can this not be one to be excited about?

Drama on BB's future, lots of money to spend in free agency, very good to elite first round draft pick capital, and a team that while shy on talent has shown impressive stones over the last month.

Doesn't mean everything will turn out great, but how can you not be excited?

 

[astrozombie]

Possibly for a separate thread but why do you prefer Williams or Maye over Daniels?

Getting back on track, while I think it's reasonable to fear potential changes this off season, we wind up back at the top of the draft in two or three years if we miss on the QB pick/FA signings. I am not fearful of moving on from 71 year old Bill Belichick the GM particularly when it comes to shopping for groceries on offense. As has been mentioned elsewhere, they haven't signed a draft pick from rounds one through three to a second contract since 2013, thats absolutely atrocious regardless of the circumstances. While I hope he'd agree to some level of personnel oversight from a GM I fear he's too arrogant and stubborn to change his ways at this stage of his professional life. On the downside the defensive coaching/game planning will likely regress but thats a small price to pay in exchange for competent NFL offense (assuming all goes well with a new coach, new QB, and a new front office which is admittedly a lot of turnover).

Williams and Maye appear to be the universal consensus 1 and 2 QB picks. After that, there are better players than Daniels (MHJ) and I would rather get him than Daniels. Would I like to draft Daniels? Yes. Over MHJ? No.

 

[Cellar-Door]

Williams and Maye appear to be the universal consensus 1 and 2 QB picks. After that, there are better players than Daniels (MHJ) and I would rather get him than Daniels. Would I like to draft Daniels? Yes. Over MHJ? No.

Not sure it's consensus anymore, some teams have Daniels #2 according to people who cover the draft.

 

[Red Averages]

It's all up from here. Have to enjoy the journey if the destination is far away.

 

[NextBigThing8184]

I'm worried if BB is still calling the shots as GM without any other input. The more I look back on the run with Brady, what made BB such a great partner to Brady was he was great at maximizing the roster. He'd find older FAs and use them in roles that highlight they're best skill even with diminishing athleticism(eg Harrison). He'd hit on late picks(eg Edelman). He'd trade for disgruntled players(eg Moss). However, he rarely drafted skill positions well with top picks, rarely dished out FA dollars to top end players. Brady gave BB a cheat code to maximizes his ability to find talent. Those Brady teams where always hungry and deep. Without Brady I just don't know if I trust BB with what is a very important offseason.

they handed out top dollars more than people suggest. Colvin and Adalius Thomas were near top or top of market deals. Gilmore got big money. Revis got big (short term) money. Hernandez got a huge extension. Wilfork and Mankins were IIRC the highest paid NT and OG at the times they inked their deals. Even along the OL, Shaq Mason and Matt Light got near top of market extensions. Guys like McCourty, Hightower, Gronk and Brady got big contracts, maybe not the top 2-3 at their positions but we’re certainly not on deep discounts (I believe Brady and Gronk were very briefly top at their positions but still less than they could have gotten elsewhere).

 

[astrozombie]

Not sure it's consensus anymore, some teams have Daniels #2 according to people who cover the draft.

Link?

 

[BigJimEd]

I am excited to see the Patriots draft Dallas Turner with their first pick

 

[NextBigThing8184]

Williams and Maye appear to be the universal consensus 1 and 2 QB picks. After that, there are better players than Daniels (MHJ) and I would rather get him than Daniels. Would I like to draft Daniels? Yes. Over MHJ? No.

Daniels is gaining a lot of traction and could very well overtake Maye. I know Mel Kiper (for whatever tiny bit that might be worth)has said some of his contacts in the league wouldn’t be surprised if Daniels goes 1 overall and other “connected” (again, for whatever that may be worth) NFL personalities have expressed the idea that Daniels is at least on par with Maye in NFL circles if not ahead of him.

Daniels winning the heisman and being the best QB in football while Maye simultaneously looked mediocre most of the season is going to create a lot of recency bias in evaluations. And, as Kiper pointed out: it’s a copy cat league. The Ravens and Lamar Jackson’s MVP caliber play could make Daniels - the only guy in this class even sort of like Lamar in terms of running ability- a hot ticket. Now obviously Daniels is very different than Lamar (better passer as a prospect, not anywhere near as agile as a runner) but the style of play, Daniels’s continued improvement, his raw speed, ability to create “2nd plays” with his legs, etc are going to make him very intriguing to teams.

 

[E5 Yaz]

It's all up from here. Have to enjoy the journey if the destination is far away.

Som of our more prolific Red Sox fans would beg to differ

 

[NextBigThing8184]

Link?

there’s a variety of nfl podcasts, analysts, personalities etc who are running with this. First google search turned this up

https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/10102538-mmqb-nfl-execs-say-jayden-daniels-rivals-drake-maye-as-no-2-qb-after-caleb-williams.amp.html

Kiper and Breer, for all their faults, do have connections inside the NFL and they’re both reporting they’ve heard Daniels has surpassed Maye on some (not all) rankings but obviously plenty of caveats about combine, interviews, team preferences etc

Daniels going 2 wouldn’t be a surprise at this point.

 

[Cellar-Door]

Link?

Kiper is the big one, but I've seen others. Not a real surprise to me, because he's the most athletic/rushing threat and he showed a lot as a passer this year. Much like Richardson last year, there are always teams who see the rushing threat as a better option between two QBs with concerns.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzVn9X9-JsU

 

[Jinhocho]

I am dreading it. I think they are going to let go of belichick. This is going to be such a nut punch. If it happens for me that I will probably step back from fandom for a while and just see what happens. Pats have been my main Boston team since I was a teenager and I am now going on 51. I actually have only missed watching one game since 1993 and have been to around 200.

 

[Kliq]

I'm pretty excited. The Pats have been treading water since Brady left, dreaming of making the playoffs and kind of staying in place. That obviously can't be the case heading into this offseason--big changes are in store and that should at least put them in some sort of coherent direction for the future.

 

[Deathofthebambino]

I'm worried if BB is still calling the shots as GM without any other input. The more I look back on the run with Brady, what made BB such a great partner to Brady was he was great at maximizing the roster. He'd find older FAs and use them in roles that highlight they're best skill even with diminishing athleticism(eg Harrison). He'd hit on late picks(eg Edelman). He'd trade for disgruntled players(eg Moss). However, he rarely drafted skill positions well with top picks, rarely dished out FA dollars to top end players. Brady gave BB a cheat code to maximizes his ability to find talent. Those Brady teams where always hungry and deep. Without Brady I just don't know if I trust BB with what is a very important offseason.

I think Brady obviously deserves the lion's share of the credit, but BB had some amazing folks around him that he no longer does. Guys like Pioli, Cesario (who has turned around that Texans offense through the draft alone), Weis, McDaniels, Fears, Scarnecchia...

Bill may be the GM, but he obviously takes input from guys he trusts. I don't think he has those types of guys around him anymore.

I still believe we're seeing mistakes on things like timeout usage, when to go for it, in game coaching decision mistakes over the last couple of years because Ernie Adams retired after 2021.

The brain drain from the Pats coaching and front office has been real.

 

[Jungleland]

Real, non-snarky question: they get pick 5 and Bill is still here. How excited are you?

ETA: conversely, they get pick 3 and Bill is gone. How excited are you?

I'm still pretty excited for either of those scenarios, though I'm definitely more fearful of the downside in both cases.

If Bill's here and the pick is 5, I'm definitely more wary of what he'll do with it - I don't expect him to blow a top 5 pick nearly as much as some do, but I'm relatively confident that if they pick at 3 it'll be one of the 3 QBs or MHJ. At 5 you're introducing a lot more potential that their evaluations of these guys differ significantly from the consensus, opening the door for a trade or a player viewed as a reach. (And again, I can be talked into one of the tackles being an excellent pick here, I just am going to be WAY more excited about the next year of following the team if they get one of the 3 QBs or a generational WR talent.) I'm probably more nervous going into the draft in this scenario, but it's completely possible that I'm thrilled with how things look after the draft here.

Pick 3 with Bill gone is similarly not unexciting but it's nerve-wracking in its own way. I don't like the rumors that JMD or Flores will be in consideration to succeed Bill and I'm only slightly less perturbed by the Mayo rumors*, so my relative hesitation here is baking in a lack of faith in the Krafts to handle the transition correctly if it happens this year. I also will couch my answer a bit in that 3 is a question mark in itself - if I knew that the team would end up with the quarterback they view as best, I'd value that the highest of all possible scenarios. I do kind of wonder what happens if they only view one of the QBs as slam dunk and that guy is gone before they pick. Nervous enough about that to not jump at "you get 3 but Bill is definitely gone" as an option I'm 100% comfortable with.

*I can squint and see the Mayo plan as feeling like you're getting the best of both worlds if you like Bill as a coach but not as a GM. The track record of the Belichick tree has me thinking that's a fool's errand, but I can at least see the logic a little.

 

[Deathofthebambino]

I am dreading it. I think they are going to let go of belichick. This is going to be such a nut punch. If it happens for me that I will probably step back from fandom for a while and just see what happens. Pats have been my main Boston team since I was a teenager and I am now going on 51. I actually have only missed watching one game since 1993 and have been to around 200.

I honestly just wish the draft was before the date in which we have to re-up for season tickets. If they don't go offense heavy and find a QB that we can actually get excited about, I think I'd finally be content letting my tix go as I don't attend as much anymore anyway. But we won't know shit by March when they are looking for that money.

 

[NextBigThing8184]

It's all up from here. Have to enjoy the journey if the destination is far away.

or it could be years and years of purgatory.

my enjoyment and excitement of the off-season will largely be predicated in what happens with Bill

it will be interesting regardless but I can’t see getting enthusiastic about Mayo or whatever retread or hotshot coordinator Kraft/new GM brings in and I’ll probably be less than enthused for whatever GM comes in

 

[Justthetippett]

In just a few more days, the worst Patriots regular season since 1992 (so...31 years - longer than many SOSHers have been alive) will be over. Yet in the midst of this catastrophe, there's the potential for a tremendously exciting offseason. We have questions surrounding the GM and HC (presently the same person in BB, but who knows). We have the prospect of a very high draft pick. We have lots of cap space so there could be all kinds of big free agent signings. We may see a shift in organizational philosophy. We may see a brand new, offensively-minded head coach. We may even see Jonathan step in and be more of a force in the organization than he has been to date. There's so much circling around this organization.

So how excited are you for this offseason? What are you most looking forward to? What are you least looking forward to? What do you hope happens? What do you fear will happen?

Very excited for the offseason because it offers a ton of possibilities to improve the team and overall football operation. Cap room and a high pick is always going to make things more interesting/exciting. We are definitely at an inflection point.

Most looking forward to the R1 pick. This will tell us a ton, obviously, about where things are headed. If they pass on a QB, we get to freak out until R2 and so on.

Least looking forward to a possible end to the BB era. He's been an integral part of many of my fondest moments as a fan. This isn't how I wanted it to end for him in NE.

I hope they keep BB on a new 4-year deal, pick a stud QB, spend most of their draft capital and cap space on the offense, hire a new OC and staff, make Mayo the DC officially, and bring some new perspectives into the personnel department.

I fear they will lose BB for no compensation/settlement, get cute and go "value" with the picks, miss out on the top QBs, hire an HC that can't manage the entire football operation effectively, lose out on the top FAs and empower Jonathan a few years too soon.

Buckle up!

 

[Cellar-Door]

I'm still pretty excited for either of those scenarios, though I'm definitely more fearful of the downside in both cases.

If Bill's here and the pick is 5, I'm definitely more wary of what he'll do with it - I don't expect him to blow a top 5 pick nearly as much as some do, but I'm relatively confident that if they pick at 3 it'll be one of the 3 QBs or MHJ. At 5 you're introducing a lot more potential that their evaluations of these guys differ significantly from the consensus, opening the door for a trade or a player viewed as a reach. (And again, I can be talked into one of the tackles being an excellent pick here, I just am going to be WAY more excited about the next year of following the team if they get one of the 3 QBs or a generational WR talent.) I'm probably more nervous going into the draft in this scenario, but it's completely possible that I'm thrilled with how things look after the draft here.

Pick 3 with Bill gone is similarly not unexciting but it's nerve-wracking in its own way. I don't like the rumors that JMD or Flores will be in consideration to succeed Bill and I'm only slightly less perturbed by the Mayo rumors*, so my relative hesitation here is baking in a lack of faith in the Krafts to handle the transition correctly if it happens this year. I also will couch my answer a bit in that 3 is a question mark in itself - if I knew that the team would end up with the quarterback they view as best, I'd value that the highest of all possible scenarios. I do kind of wonder what happens if they only view one of the QBs as slam dunk and that guy is gone before they pick. Nervous enough about that to not jump at "you get 3 but Bill is definitely gone" as an option I'm 100% comfortable with.

*I can squint and see the Mayo plan as feeling like you're getting the best of both worlds if you like Bill as a coach but not as a GM. The track record of the Belichick tree has me thinking that's a fool's errand, but I can at least see the logic a little.

Honestly I'm a little baffled by the people who seem to think Bill would blow a top pick.... he's never missed on a top pick. Admittedly he hasn't had many but his early picks have been great:

2001- 6th pick... takes a HOFer in Seymour
2003- 13th pick... Ty Warren, very good player
2008- 7th pick... traded down to 10, took Mayo a PB player who was significantly better than 7,8,9.
2011- 17th pick.... Nat Solder, very good starting tackle
2021- 15th pick Mac Jones
2023- 14th traded down to 17, took Gonzalez who looks like a stud.

That's a really good hit rate for top 20 picks, and he's perfect on top 10 picks.

Edit- now you could say only .500 on offensive picks... but that's really about value. Also, to me, Mac Jones is the pick they had to make there, yes he collapsed mentally and is now a bust, but he was the only QB on the board who could potentially be an NFL starter and the reward was too high to pass..... also man the offensive picks after that are rough.. Leatherwood flopped, Toney too, 2 RBS (no value there) and then I guess Bateman is solid?

 

[johnmd20]

Daniels is gaining a lot of traction and could very well overtake Maye. I know Mel Kiper (for whatever tiny bit that might be worth)has said some of his contacts in the league wouldn’t be surprised if Daniels goes 1 overall and other “connected” (again, for whatever that may be worth) NFL personalities have expressed the idea that Daniels is at least on par with Maye in NFL circles if not ahead of him.

Daniels winning the heisman and being the best QB in football while Maye simultaneously looked mediocre most of the season is going to create a lot of recency bias in evaluations. And, as Kiper pointed out: it’s a copy cat league. The Ravens and Lamar Jackson’s MVP caliber play could make Daniels - the only guy in this class even sort of like Lamar in terms of running ability- a hot ticket. Now obviously Daniels is very different than Lamar (better passer as a prospect, not anywhere near as agile as a runner) but the style of play, Daniels’s continued improvement, his raw speed, ability to create “2nd plays” with his legs, etc are going to make him very intriguing to teams.

This is clap trap tho like the "Will Levis might vault to number 1" nonsense this year. He was not drafted in the first round.

This is agents, as "insiders" talking. Daniels won't go ahead of Caleb or Maye. But I'll admit he will go way higher than Levis. He will very likely be in the top 8.

 

[Cellar-Door]

This is clap trap tho like the "Will Levis might vault to number 1" nonsense this year. He was not drafted in the first round.

This is agents, as "insiders" talking. Daniels won't go ahead of Caleb or Maye. But I'll admit he will go way higher than Levis. He will very likely be in the top 8.

I'd note it isn't agents, Kiper at least is very clear that it's scouting staff/ team employees. And I don't think it's at all similar to Levis #1, but rather the inverse, it's more like the "Richardson is going over Levis" since Levis was the guy penciled into the top 5 early.

 

[johnmd20]

I'd note it isn't agents, Kiper at least is very clear that it's scouting staff/ team employees. And I don't think it's at all similar to Levis #1, but rather the inverse, it's more like the "Richardson is going over Levis" since Levis was the guy penciled into the top 5 early.

I will wager any amount of money that Maye goes ahead of Daniels.

 

[The Mort Report]

I think Brady obviously deserves the lion's share of the credit, but BB had some amazing folks around him that he no longer does. Guys like Pioli, Cesario (who has turned around that Texans offense through the draft alone), Weis, McDaniels, Fears, Scarnecchia...

Bill may be the GM, but he obviously takes input from guys he trusts. I don't think he has those types of guys around him anymore.

I still believe we're seeing mistakes on things like timeout usage, when to go for it, in game coaching decision mistakes over the last couple of years because Ernie Adams retired after 2021.

The brain drain from the Pats coaching and front office has been real.

Yup, this is also a huge factor, and I'm sure having those guys around allowed them to do the research to find guys that fit the system. Without them, not only do you not have the voices he trusts, and this is a point I made in another thread, there aren't enough hours in a week to correctly be both a HC and GM, and it's starting to show. BB expects players and coaches to sacrifice for whats best for the team, I would like Kraft have the same conversation with him about GM duties

 

[BaseballJones]

Very excited for the offseason because it offers a ton of possibilities to improve the team and overall football operation. Cap room and a high pick is always going to make things more interesting/exciting. We are definitely at an inflection point.

Most looking forward to the R1 pick. This will tell us a ton, obviously, about where things are headed. If they pass on a QB, we get to freak out until R2 and so on.

Least looking forward to a possible end to the BB era. He's been an integral part of many of my fondest moments as a fan. This isn't how I wanted it to end for him in NE.

I hope they keep BB on a new 4-year deal, pick a stud QB, spend most of their draft capital and cap space on the offense, hire a new OC and staff, make Mayo the DC officially, and bring some new perspectives into the personnel department.

I fear they will lose BB for no compensation/settlement, get cute and go "value" with the picks, miss out on the top QBs, hire an HC that can't manage the entire football operation effectively, lose out on the top FAs and empower Jonathan a few years too soon.

Buckle up!

If they get rid of BB, they probably won't go "value" with the picks. The new guy will almost certainly try to get the shiny star - a QB or MHJ. BB on a secure 4-year deal is most likely to go "value".

 

[Justthetippett]

If they get rid of BB, they probably won't go "value" with the picks. The new guy will almost certainly try to get the shiny star - a QB or MHJ. BB on a secure 4-year deal is most likely to go "value".

You're probably right. Those were the sum of all of my fears, not really a realistic scenario (I hope!).

 

[Ralphwiggum]

Excited isn’t a word I would use necessarily. Nervous? In a perfect world BB stays on, completely revamps how he evaluates offensive players in the draft (at age 71, seems unlikely, but we’ll see I guess), hits on one of the high ceiling QBs in the first round and then builds out a nice roster around him with lower picks and FA signings. The defense continues to be solid, he remembers how to coach special teams or hires someone who does and that abomination of a unit is fixed, and we see some progress and a fringe-ish playoff team in 2024 with some young players with upside who are exciting to watch, including a guy who looks like he might develop into a Top 5-10 QB.

But I’m nervous because I simply don’t trust Bill at this stage of his career to pick the players on offense, and as @Deathofthebambino noted above the brain drain in Foxboro has been significant, Bill is getting older, and he seems to be surrounding himself with guys he knows rather than new voices who are more in tune with where the league is now. I’d love to be wrong, though.

If he’s gone I’ll be nervous too because who knows whether the next Coach/GM combo will know what they are doing or will suck.

 

[Bowhemian]

I’m not excited, nor am I nervous. But I am very curious to see how this off-season plays out. If nothing else, it will likely be an interesting 6 months or so.

 

[lexrageorge]

I like the NFL offseason; always found it interesting to see who comes, who goes, and how the team looks heading into training camp. I personally found the contending offseasons more exciting than this one (e.g.., the offseason between 2006 and 2007 was remarkable). But this is one that I am definitely looking forward to, especially if the Pats get a top 3 pick (much less excited if they end up with #5).

If Bill stays, Hard Knocks will be appointment viewing for me (now watch HBO cancel it). That alone makes Bill's return something worth rooting for.

If Bill goes, I start getting nervous that the new GM will screw things up somehow and throw a ton of money at Trent Brown while trading trading the team's draft capital for the next 3 seasons to the Bears to get the top pick. Or tries to make a run at Kirk Cousins or Russell Wilson. As for coaching, well, Nick Saban has some free time for the next couple of weeks /s /jk [/ducks].

 

[Saints Rest]

I just looked at spotrac for next year. According to them, we start the offseason with $72M in space. I then used their "Manage Roster" tool to cut the following: Brown, Mac, JCJ, McMillan and Anderson, and traded JuJu and Mac (for imaginary late round swaps). These moves would move the cap space to $100M with 41 players under contract.

 

[patinorange]

It's all up from here. Have to enjoy the journey if the destination is far away.

That's what I said when Clive Rush left.

 

[Seels]

I'm pretty excited but scared they win against the Jets, get like the 6th overall, and are stuck in the purgatory of either picking an OT or DE. Mac/Zappe aren't the answer, and drafting an OL doesn't change that. This team with a top 15 qb is competing for a playoff spot, and with a top 10 QB and improved WR corps is arguably the team to beat in the east.

I think the east is as open as its ever been. This is probably the top of the peak or near the peak for the Dolphins. The Bills have been in their own purgatory. Let's face it, the Jets you can probably pencil in for being between 4-13 and 7-10 for the rest of history. The gap between this Patriots team and a playoff competitive one is not that big, and certainly not things that can't be fixed with their draft capitol and cap space.

 

[BaseballJones]

I just looked at spotrac for next year. According to them, we start the offseason with $72M in space. I then used their "Manage Roster" tool to cut the following: Brown, Mac, JCJ, McMillan and Anderson, and traded JuJu and Mac (for imaginary late round swaps). These moves would move the cap space to $100M with 41 players under contract.

That's a lot of money without even talking about restructuring. If they roster 5 rookies at rookie money, that leaves them at 46 players with, say, $85 million to spend on 7 guys to get them to 53. You can add real talent in those 7 spots for that kind of money.

It's possible that they can turn this around really quickly.