Admit It, the New England Patriots are Back

It’s almost like they never left. Just five years after the demise of the Tom Brady-led Patriots empire, the New England Patriots are seemingly back to their past form. Where it was the quarterback-head coach duo of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick that terrorised the NFL for twenty years, it’s now Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel who are doing the honours. 

(Image Credit to Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

In the 2020 NFL Playoffs, Mike Vrabel and the Tennessee Titans eliminated the New England Patriots in what was a stunning upset. That sent Tom Brady packing for Tampa Bay and the Patriots into a sort of stasis. 

In an ironic twist of fate, the man to bring this empire back from the dead? Mike Vrabel was hired to replace the previous head coach, Jerod Mayo in January 2025. 

With former University of North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye set to enter his first full season as the Patriots’ starter, it was clear Mike Vrabel and New England’s front office would have to build around the young quarterback and quickly. 

And build quickly they did. The Patriots successfully acquired wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins (funny enough, they’re both former Buffalo Bills players) to give quarterback Drake Maye additional downfield targets, while also beefing up the offensive line through the signing of Garrett Bradbury from the Minnesota Vikings. 

Defensively, the Patriots have turned into a top-ten unit in many major statistical categories, as seen through the addition of the likes of linebacker Harold Landry from Tennessee, who was coached by Mike Vrabel during his tenure with the Titans. While the pass defence is still a question mark of sorts, New England’s run defence is first in the league in both total passing yards surrendered and passing yards surrendered per game (stats are provided by ESPN and are accurate as of November 13th). 

All together, you have a Patriots squad that is currently 9-2 and in position to clinch its first playoff berth since 2021 within the next few weeks. Not only that, but there is a very strong chance that this team could end up with anywhere between 12 and 14 wins on the season, bringing a division title and a deep playoff run very much in question. 

On a personal note, I will say that I actually grew up watching and rooting for the New England Patriots. In fact, Patriots games were also how I got into NFL football; I remember how Sundays in my house during the fall and the winter would be set aside for watching the Patriots game.

Of course, that was before the end of the dynasty. Since that point, I’ve found solace (questionably) in watching the Cincinnati Bengals and the occasional Buffalo Bills game. 

As an ex-Patriots fan? The Patriots look like they’re back. 

Sure, one could’ve reasonably assumed that same fact in the first year-and-a-half of Mac Jones’ career. And time will tell if Drake Maye ends up like Mac Jones or if he is set to lead the rebirth of the Patriots dynasty. 

But there are reasons to be optimistic or even afraid. Mike Vrabel has a history of success both as a former player and as a head coach; if you can get Ryan Tannehill to an AFC Championship Game, two division titles, and a one seed, then you have to be doing something well. And with the kind of season second-year quarterback Drake Maye has had so far and could still have, he could gain a lot of confidence that will be of benefit for him in the future. 

Let’s not forget about the rest of this team’s youth, which could play a role in the sustainability of this potential run. Running back TreVeyon Henderson is currently enjoying an incredible two-game stretch, while offensive lineman Will Campbell has done a tremendous job giving Drake Maye time to make plays happen. 

Should the Patriots convert their hot start into a playoff berth or even a deep run, the Boston suburbs will be a favourite destination for a lot of the NFL’s free agents this upcoming spring. 

No matter how the season ends for New England, fear has clearly been struck into the rest of the NFL and its fanbases. And if the cards are played correctly, this might not be a one-off. 

It might be the return of an empire. 

So it’s best we just save ourselves some coping and admit it: the New England Patriots are back. 

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Article written by Noah Guttman © Noah Guttman 2025