First ground rule: this not a thread for nay-sayers, pox-on-everyone's-first-born cynics, and harsh realists
This is a thread for folks who want to give their mental health a little balm by imagining scenarios where the Pats don't completely suck next year
So, post your off-season scenario of trades / free agent signings / draft picks that make the Pats significantly better next year
Second ground rule: Modest amounts of good luck are allowed, but only so much. Prospects can slide a short distance in the draft; free agents can sign market-rate deals with us instead of other teams; teams can choose to trade us something if it's a fair deal and they have plausible reasons for doing so; trades of draft picks need to make sense for the other team and be within 3-4% of equivalent value.
Keep in mind the old Hollywood script-writers line: "You can use really unlikely events to get your protagonist into danger, but not to get them out. The first is bad luck. The second is cheating."
If I think of a third ground rule, I'll come back and add it
OK, here's one to get us started...
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Free agency
Miraculously, we go into next season healthy and with a bunch of our younger vets (esp. Maye, Strange, Barmore, Bentley) poised for career years...
2025 Offensive Depth Chart (rookies in blue, new vets in green):
That team feels a lot better on defense, and with a functional offensive line like it has potential to be a lot more competitive overall. Maybe not a playoff team, but solidly .500
Tyron Smith buys us a year or two to see if any of Will Campbell, Josh Simmons, or Wyatt Milum will be the longer-term answer at LT. Either way, all three of those rookies played a bunch of line positions in college, and their collective present/future flexibility is a big part of their appeal. Similarly, the fact that Graham and Jackson pay with pretty crazy motors and all over the defensive line should help that group a lot.
Obviously, most of that ain't gonna happen. Especially the whole Cleveland Deshaun Watson trade thing.
But it's fun to pipe dream about.
Edit/update: Clearly, I can't count to two very well, since I had two different first ground rules and no second ground rule
This is a thread for folks who want to give their mental health a little balm by imagining scenarios where the Pats don't completely suck next year
So, post your off-season scenario of trades / free agent signings / draft picks that make the Pats significantly better next year
Second ground rule: Modest amounts of good luck are allowed, but only so much. Prospects can slide a short distance in the draft; free agents can sign market-rate deals with us instead of other teams; teams can choose to trade us something if it's a fair deal and they have plausible reasons for doing so; trades of draft picks need to make sense for the other team and be within 3-4% of equivalent value.
Keep in mind the old Hollywood script-writers line: "You can use really unlikely events to get your protagonist into danger, but not to get them out. The first is bad luck. The second is cheating."
If I think of a third ground rule, I'll come back and add it
OK, here's one to get us started...
-----------------------
Free agency
- After rumors linking them to every free agent who wanted more money, the Pats open the off season with a bang, signing Tee Higgins to a ~$25-30M/per deal
- They try and fail to sign any of the top offensive tackles, who mostly resign with their prior teams. In the end, they lure 34-year-old Tyron Smith away from the Jets on a two-year deal
- After protracted back-and-forth they also sign Asante Samuel Jr. to a 4-year/~$70M deal to start opposite Gonzo. (Shortly after this signing his dad is caught on live mike saying "*Now* they're willing to pay?")
- The final notable addition is Azeez Ojulari, who leaves the Giants when he sees how nonexistent the Pats depth at outside LB is. "I'm tired of coming off the bench. I wanna go somewhere I'm going to play," he explains at his first press conference
- Things get crazy in the final days before the draft when it's leaked that the Cleveland Browns-- disappointed with the lack of talent and QBs in this class and prepared for an hopefully-entertaining-at-least 'bridge' year with Jameis providing more melodrama-- trade DeShaun Watson into the Pat's cap space, along with the #8 and #39 picks, for Dugger, Godchaux (~$23M annually to both), and future draft assets. The Pats immediately cut Watson and take the ~$75M one-time cap hit.
- Just before the first round starts New England then trades it's top 3 pick to Chicago for the #9, #35, and #41
- With the #8 and #9 picks the Patriots take
- Mason Graham (DT/DE/D-everywhere)
- Will Campbell (probably iOL) LSU
- Then, in the second half of the first round New England packages the #35, #50 and some day-three picks to move back into the 20s (also getting a pick around 60) and select
- Josh Simmons ('no question has the tools to play' OT) Ohio State
- With their three remaining picks between the #39 and #60ish, the Pats select
- Wyatt Milum (unclear, but probably iOL),
- Landon Jackson (big, angry, and bald)
- Elic Ayomanor (xWR)
- With the team's picks after #60 they assemble a collection of ++tools athletes with high ceilings who need development work but with better technique easily project as NFL starters. None of these guys get significant playing time with the starters in 2025, but they make significant progress on the stuff they gotta work on...
- Darien Porter (CB)
- Charles Grant (OT)
- Smael Mondon (wLB)
- Oronde Gadsden (TE)
Miraculously, we go into next season healthy and with a bunch of our younger vets (esp. Maye, Strange, Barmore, Bentley) poised for career years...
2025 Offensive Depth Chart (rookies in blue, new vets in green):
- Pass - Maye
- Block -
- LT - Tyron Smith
- LG - Will Campbell
- C - Cole Strange
- RG - Onwenu
- RT - Josh Simmons
- Flex T/iOL - Lowe, Wyatt Milum, Wallace
- Run - Rham, Gibson
- Catch -
- zWR - Tee Higgins
- yTE - Henry, Hooper
- xWR - Ayomanor
- slot - Pop
- Crush -
- DT: Barmore
- DE: Jennings
- Either/Both: Mason Graham, Landon Jackson
- oLB/Edge: White, Azeez Ojulari
- Smash -
- mLB: Bentley, Elliss
- wLB: Tavai
- wLB/S: Peppers
- Run -
- edge CB: Gonzo, Asante Samuel Jr
- zone DB/S: Jones, Pettus
That team feels a lot better on defense, and with a functional offensive line like it has potential to be a lot more competitive overall. Maybe not a playoff team, but solidly .500
Tyron Smith buys us a year or two to see if any of Will Campbell, Josh Simmons, or Wyatt Milum will be the longer-term answer at LT. Either way, all three of those rookies played a bunch of line positions in college, and their collective present/future flexibility is a big part of their appeal. Similarly, the fact that Graham and Jackson pay with pretty crazy motors and all over the defensive line should help that group a lot.
Obviously, most of that ain't gonna happen. Especially the whole Cleveland Deshaun Watson trade thing.
But it's fun to pipe dream about.
Edit/update: Clearly, I can't count to two very well, since I had two different first ground rules and no second ground rule
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