How The Patriots Rebuilt Their Dynasty in 1 Year

How The Patriots Rebuilt Their Dynasty in 1 Year

when you watch Drake May play is he’s making the surrounding pieces better. There you go. Consecutive wins. That’s as many since 2021 for them. Throws down the field have been outstanding, but it’s an understanding of playing really good situational football. The Minnesota Vikings offered the New England Patriots three first round picks on draft night 2024. And the New England Patriots said no. They looked at that hall, looked at Drake May sitting there at number three and decided that this kid from North Carolina was worth more than all of that combined. And honestly, 2 years later, it might have been the best decision that Robert Craft has ever made. Because what we’re watching right now in New England isn’t just a rebuild. It’s a complete resurrection. And Drake May is the reason for all of it. But to understand how we got here, we need to go back to April of 2024 when the Patriots had a choice to make that would define their entire future. 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And there’s new HelloFresh recipes that help me hit my protein targets without sacrificing flavor. Give HelloFresh a chance by using my promo code microphone FM at hellofresh.com for 10 plus meals plus free breakfast for life. There’s one free meal per box with an active subscription. And free meals are applied as a discount on the first box. New or returning subscribers only varies by plan. But sign up today. Click the link below or use my promo code microphone FM at hellofresh.com. And thank you HelloFresh for today’s sponsor. Mic check 1212. What’s going on everybody? So, let’s rewind to draft night. The Patriots are sitting there with the third overall pick. Caleb Williams is going number one to Chicago. Jaden Daniels is going number two to Washington. And Drake May is sitting right there for the taking. The phone is ringing off the hook. The Minnesota Vikings are desperate. Kevin O’Connell wants a quarterback so bad that he can taste it. So, Minnesota puts together this insane package. They offer picks 11 and 23 in that draft. plus their 2025 first round pick, plus swaps in later rounds. That’s essentially three first round picks for one player. And the Giants, Brian Dball is right there with them. New York offers their number six pick that year, plus their 2025 first round pick. Two teams, both willing to mortgage significant draft capital, both desperately wanting the same guy, Drake May. And you know what makes this even crazier? The fact that Kevin Oonnell and Brian Dal being the coaches interested actually made the Patriots more confident that they should keep the pick. Think about that. Two offensive-minded head coaches, both proven quarterback developers, both saying, “We’ll give you whatever you want for this kid.” Both making you an offer that you can’t refuse. And yet, the New England Patriots refused it. I’m going to own up to this. I absolutely destroy the Patriots for this decision. I felt like they had so many holes on their roster that throwing Drake May to the Wolves wouldn’t help them and that they should have taken the picks. But Patriots director of scouting, Elliot Wolf, said after the draft that we knew we were in a unique opportunity here to get a quarterback that we liked. And Gerard Mayo added that of those top three quarterbacks, we were comfortable with all three of those guys. And it just happened to be Drake. But here’s the thing. It wasn’t just happen stance. The Patriots did their homework. Mayo said, “The more exposures we had with Drake, the more comfortable we felt.” So, the Patriots make the pick and what happens next is well, a little bit of a mess because this is where the JRod Mayo experience begins. And look, I don’t want to pile on Mayo too much because the man inherited one of the worst rosters in football, but his tenure as Patriots head coach is going to go down as one of the most chaotic single seasons in recent NFL history. Mayo made the call to start Jacobe Brassette over Drake May to begin the season. Now, on paper, that makes sense. Rookie quarterback, terrible offensive line, lack of weapons. let him learn. Except here’s where it gets weird. Before announcing Brassette as the starter, Mayo publicly declared that May had outplayed Jacobe Brassette in camp. He literally told everyone the better quarterback was sitting on the bench. And this became a pattern. Mayo would say things publicly that he’d have to walk back later. The team struggled to maintain any kind of discipline or identity. Then came the infamous London game. Week six, the Jaguars. May’s first start. The Patriots jump out to a 10- nothing lead and then completely collapse, losing 32 to6 and Mayo in his postgame press conference drops this bomb. Disappointing game. Disappointing game. We came out, we started fast. What I would say is, look, we’re a soft football team across the board. Now, Bill Bich hears this and publicly criticizes Gerard Mayo for calling out his own players. I’m kind of hurt for those guys because to call them soft, they’re not soft. They were the best team in the league last year against the run. Uh, and those guys did out there went out there and did it even though we couldn’t score many points offensively. So, I don’t know. I feel bad for the defensive players on that one because those guys that that’s a tough group. I mean, Jon Jones, Godshaw, Uch, those guys are all tough players. Many of these are the same players that Bill Bich had coached the year before. The locker room starts to fracture. And according to sources from the Athletic, Mayo struggled to apply and uphold the discipline after positioning himself as a player’s coach. One Patriot source said, “Honestly, Gerard is a good guy. I just don’t think he was ready for all the big decisions and discipline and focus the job takes.” In the middle of all of this chaos, all of this dysfunction, and all this organizational disaster, Drake May is balling out. Like legitimately showing he’s got franchise quarterback potential. He finishes his rookie season with 2,276 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in just 12 starts. He has 421 rushing yards on 54 attempts with an average of 7.8 yards per carry, which was the sixth highest in a season by a quarterback with at least 50 rushing attempts. His completion percentage is 66.6. 6%. And get this, his first 10 passing touchdowns went to 10 different receivers, making him the first NFL quarterback to do this since Steve Ramsay in 1973. Let me put into perspective how impressive this actually was. The New England Patriots offensive line, ranked dead last in pass blocking win rate at 51%. They ranked second to last in run blocking win rate at 67%. May was playing behind arguably the worst offensive line any firstround rookie quarterback has had to in the past two decades. Three of his starting offensive linemen, Deontree Jacobs, Ben Brown, and Michael Jordan. No, not that Michael Jordan, have been released by their original teams at the beginning of the season. And May still managed to show legitimate franchise QB traits. He tied Jim Plunkin’s franchise record by throwing a touchdown pass in eight straight games. He had back-to-back games with over 80% completion percentage. He set a Patriots rookie record for touchdowns responsible for in his first 12 games with 17. May was doing all this while getting absolutely destroyed behind that offensive line with receivers who couldn’t get separation and with a coaching staff that seemed to be imploding around him. The Patriots finished 4 and3. They ranked 31st in the league in yards per game and 28th in point differential at minus 128. The defense, which was supposed to be Mayo’s specialty as a former linebacker, ranked 21st in yards allowed and 23rd in points allowed per game. By week 17, fans were chanting fire mayo at Gillette Stadium during a 40 to7 loss to the Chargers. And then they won week 18 against Buffalo, which sounds like a good thing, except that win dropped them from the number one overall pick to the number four overall pick. They beat a Bills team resting their starters and cost themselves a chance at the first pick in the NFL draft. Less than 2 hours after that game ended, Robert Craft fired Mayo. Craft statement was pretty telling. I have always considered myself and my family as custodians of a public asset. We have tremendous fans who expect and deserve a better product than we have delivered in recent years, and I apologize for that. He called it one of the hardest decisions he’s ever made, but said he was determined that this move was the best option at this time to expedite our return to championship contention. Mayo became only the second Patriots coach fired after one season, joining Rod Rust, who went 1-15 back in 1990. And remember, Craft had written succession language into Mayo’s contract years earlier because he feared losing him to another team. Mayo was supposed to be the chosen one, the heir to Bellich’s throne, and it lasted exactly one season. But here’s where the story gets really good. Because Robert Craft was about to make a decision that changed everything. You see, when Gerrod Mayo was hired in 2024, Vrabel had just been fired by the Tennessee Titans. Team sources say that Vrabel’s unexpected availability made some within the organization wonder if they should shelf the Mayo’s succession plan in favor of Vrabel, but they stuck with Mayo. Fast forward one year and Mayo’s fired and Vrabel’s still available. Not only that, but Vrabel’s interviewing with the AFC East rival New York Jets. So, the Patriots move fast, like really fast. Within a week of firing Mayo, they hire Vrabel. He becomes the 16th head coach in franchise history. And look, if you’re the Patriots, this is the ultimate no-brainer. Vrabel played linebacker for New England from 2001 to 2008. He won three Super Bowls as a Patriot. He was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2023. As a coach with the Titans, he went 54 and 45 over six seasons with three playoff appearances. He made the AFC Championship game in 2019, and he won coach of the year in 2021. But more than resume, Rael brings something that the Patriots desperately needed. Structure, discipline, an actual plan. As one report put it, Vrabel has proved that he can build a winning culture, which has added value for the franchise. And Vrabel didn’t waste any time. He brings in a staff of experienced coaches. Josh McDaniels returns as the Patriots offensive coordinator after his failed stint as the Raiders head coach. McDaniels had been the Patriots offensive coordinator for 14 seasons across two stints and was there for three Super Bowl wins. Terrell Williams comes in as a defensive coordinator. Williams had worked with Vrabel in Tennessee for 6 years and has a reputation for developing defensive linemen. But hiring Vrabel and his staff was just step one because the Patriots had one of the worst rosters in football. And that’s where things get absolutely wild because over the next few months, the Patriots go on one of the most aggressive spending sprees in NFL history. It starts in free agency. And when I say the Patriots spent money, I mean they really spent money. The Patriots awarded $410 million in maximum value to 18 free agents. Let that sink in. $410 million. The first domino falls when they sign defensive tackle Milton Williams to a 4-year $14 million deal. This is the richest contract in New England Patriots history. Williams had just won a Super Bowl with the Eagles, recording 2.5 sacks in the big game. The deal includes $51 million fully guaranteed, which is comparable to what guys like Chris Jones and Javon Harrave got in recent years. Now, some people questioned if they overpaid. Williams only played 47% of the Philadelphia Eagles defensive snaps in 2024, mostly because he was rotating with other elite defensive linemen. But the Patriots desperately needed a game changer, and they got one. Then they signed pass rusher Harold Landry to a three-year $43.5 million deal with $26 million guaranteed. Landry had played for Varel in Tennessee and totaled 50.5 career sacks over seven seasons. The Patriots ranked dead last with 28 sacks in 2024. So, this was huge. Linebacker Robert Spolain would get a three-year $37 million contract. Spelain had been dominant for the Raiders with 158 combined tackles in 2024, tied for the third most in the NFL. PFF graded him with an 82.3 overall grade, placing him fourth out of 189 linebackers. He’d also played for Varable in Tennessee early in his career. Quarterback Carlton Davis would sign for three years and $60 million with $34.5 million guaranteed. Davis had won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay in 2020 and had 11 career interceptions over 89 games. He’d also played under defensive coordinator Terrell Williams in Detroit in 2024. So, there was immediate familiarity with the defensive scheme. On the offensive line, they bring in veteran tackle Morgan Moses on a three-year deal and center Garrett Bradberry on a two-year contract. Both are experienced starters who can stabilize what was the worst offensive line in football. And then the big one, the move that makes Patriots fans collectively lose their minds. A player that has been a thorn in their side over the past half decade. Stfan Diggs signs a three-year deal worth up to $69 million with $26 million guaranteed. And then Diggs decides to party on a yacht to celebrate, which was a bit of a distraction in the off season. But Diggs was a four-time Pro Bowler who had six straight seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards from 2018 to 2023. He caught 100 or more passes five times in his career. So Drake May finally had a legitimate number one receiver. The same Stfan Diggs, who spent years catching passes from Josh Allen in Buffalo, and now he’s working with Drake May and Josh McDaniels. The Patriots also add receiver M. Collins, who caught a career-high five touchdowns for Buffalo last season and had his best season under Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas in 2022. Through all these moves, the Patriots completely rebuilt their roster in one off season. They added seven new projected starters, and they still have over $60 million in cap space after all these signings, which is the most in the league. And they’re not done yet. We didn’t even talk about the NFL draft. In April of 2025, the Patriots have the fourth overall pick, courtesy of that week 18 win that dropped them from number one to number four. And while some fans were upset about missing out on the top pick, Rael and Wolf had their eyes on one guy, LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell. Campbell is a three-year starter at left tackle for the Tigers. He was a consensus all-American in 2024 and won the Jacobs blocking trophy as the SEC’s best lineman. There was some concern about his arm length, which was measured at just 32 and 5’8 in at the combine, which is short for an NFL tackle. But Campbell’s response was, “For two years, nobody had any measurements on me, and nobody said anything about my play. Now all of a sudden, an arm length decides if I’m going to be a good player or not. I think that’s BS.” And the Patriots clearly agreed. They drafted him fourth overall, and Drake May finally has his blind side protector. The Patriots weren’t done adding offensive weapons. In the second round at pick 38, they take Ohio State running back Trayvon Henderson. In the third round, they take Washington State receiver Kyle Williams. They trade back twice in the third round before selecting Georgia center Jared Wilson at pick 95, which continues to rebuild the offensive line. And they just kept going. They drafted safety Craig Woodson in the fourth round, defensive lineman Joshua Farmer, and edge rusher Braden Swinson to add depth to their defensive front. The Patriots had 11 draft picks in total. And when you step back and look at what the Patriots accomplished in one off season, it’s genuinely amazing. They hired one of the best coaching staffs in football. Spent over $400 million in free agency addressing every major need. They drafted for May’s development at every turn. Left tackle, running back, wide receiver, center, everything built around their franchise quarterback. Mel Kyper praised the Patriots draft, saying, “You have a franchise QB in Drake May. What do you do? You try to help him out. try to get him to that level as quick as you can. Daniel Jeremiah listed the Patriots as a top winner through the first two days of the draft. PFF gave the Patriots an A+ grade for their off seasonason. And this brings us to where we are now because all of this, every dollar spent, every draft pick used, all goes back to that one moment on draft night 2024 when the Vikings and Giants were offering the farm and the Patriots said no. They bet everything on Drake May. They believe this kid from North Carolina was special enough to turn down three first round picks. Special enough to build an entire franchise around. And yeah, it cost Gerard Mayo his job. It cost them a 4 and13 season. It cost them a year of development that could have been better managed. But think about what the Patriots learned in that nightmare season. They learned that May could handle getting destroyed behind an offensive line and still make plays. They learned that he could elevate receivers who had no business being in the NFL. They learned he had the mental toughness to handle being on a losing team with a chaotic coaching staff and still show improvement every week. He got selected to the 2025 Pro Bowl as a replacement despite his team going 4 and 13. That tells you everything about how he played. And now this year, all those pieces are coming together in an incredible way. They have an offensive line that went from being the worst in the league to potentially middle of the pack or better with Campbell, Moses, and Bradberry. They have Stfan Diggs healthy and playing like a number one receiver. They have Trayvon Henderson and Kyle Williams adding speed and playmaking ability. They have a defensive line featuring Milton Williams, Harold Landry, and young talent. They have a linebacking core led by Robert Spellain and a secondary with Carlton Davis opposite of Christian Gonzalez. This isn’t a team that’s one or two players away anymore. This is a team that went allin on their rebuild in a single season. And it all happened because the Patriots believed in Drake May when it mattered the most. You know what the craziest part of this story is? It’s not that the Patriots turned down three first round picks for Drake May. It’s not that they spent $400 million rebuilding the roster. It’s not even that they fired Mayo after one season and brought in Vrabel. The craziest part is that it’s actually working like right now in real time because the 2025 Patriots aren’t just improved, they’re legitimate contenders. Let me hit you with some numbers that are absolutely insane. The Patriots are 6-2 through eight games. That’s their best start since 2019, the last year that they made the playoffs. They’re sitting at the number two seed in the AFC. They’re leading the AFC East and they’re currently riding a five-game winning streak, the longest in the NFL right now. Let that sink in for a second. Patriots went 4-3 last year. Four wins and through eight games this year, they already have six. They’ve already surpassed their win totals from both 2023 and 2024 combined. This isn’t a slow rebuild. This is a complete 180 in a single off seasonason. And it’s all because of Drake May. Because what he’s doing right now isn’t just good. It’s historically elite. May has seven consecutive games with over 200 passing yards and a passer rating over a 100. You want to know who else has done that? Patrick Mahomes in 2018 when he won MVP. Payton Manning in 2004 when he won MVP. Aaron Rogers in 2010 and 2011. And Tom Brady in 2007. That’s the entire list. Those are all MVP seasons. And Drake May is the fifth player in NFL history to do it. In fact, Drake May is one of three quarterbacks to have a six-game streak with over 200 yards and a 100 plus passer rating at the age of 23 or younger. The other two, Patrick Mahomes in his MVP season of 2018 and Dan Marino in 1984, also an MVP season. May is in the conversation for MVP at 23 years old in his second season in the league. And he’s not just putting up numbers, he’s breaking franchise records. In week seven against Tennessee, May completed 21 of 23 passes for a 91.3% completion percentage that broke Tom Brady’s franchise record of 88.5% that had stood since 2009. It was the eighth best single game completion percentage in NFL history. But wait, there’s more. May now has five games this season with at least 200 passing yards, a passer rating over 135, and two touchdown passes. That’s a Patriots single season record. In week eight against Cleveland, fans at Gillette Stadium were literally chanting MVP for Drake May. [Music] The man threw for 282 yards and three touchdowns despite being sacked five times by Miles Garrett. After throwing an interception in the second half, Bay had a perfect passer rating the rest of the game, completing all eight passes for 114 yards, and three touchdowns. His stats for this season so far is 226 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and just three interceptions. He’s eighth in the league in passing yards, tied for eighth in touchdowns, fourth in QBR at 76.8, and he’s doing all this while scrambling like a madman. He’s got 250 rushing yards on the season, making him a legitimate dual threat. Here’s an absolutely ridiculous stat that Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald highlighted. May’s completion percentage on deep passes, balls thrown 20 plus yards down the field is 75.2%. That leads the entire NFL. His overall completion percentage is 73.9%. Let me say that again. His deep ball completion percentage is higher than his overall completion percentage. That’s absurd. That shouldn’t be possible. And he’s doing this while facing two deep coverage on more than 41.5% of his drop backs. One of the highest rates in the league. But May isn’t just doing this alone because remember all those free agents that the Patriots signed? They’re showing up, too. The Patriots are averaging 26.6 6 points per game, which ranks seventh in the NFL. Last year, they averaged 17.6 points per game. That’s a 9-point increase. The offense has completely transformed. Stfan Diggs has 470 receiving yards, leading the team. He’s healthy and he’s making plays. That connection with May that everyone had hoped for, it’s real. Kahan Booty has 431 yards. Hunter Henry has 317. The receiving core that has been non-existent last year now has multiple legitimate weapons. The running game is working too. Raandre Stevenson has 279 yards, but the depth is what’s impressive. May has 250 rushing yards himself. Trayvon Henderson, that second round rookie, already has 228 yards. The Patriots just had back-to-back games with at least 175 rushing yards, something that they hadn’t done since 2020. And the offensive line, remember, they were dead last in pass block win rate last year at 51%. Will Campbell is starting at left tackle as a rookie and holding his own. The pass protection has improved dramatically. The run blocking has improved. The foundation is there. But here’s what might be even more impressive than the offense, the defense. Because Mike Vrabel and Terrell Williams have completely transformed that side of the ball. During the Patriots 5game win streak, the defense has allowed just 15.6 points per game. The most they’ve given up during this stretch was 19 to Buffalo. That’s elite defense. And get this stat. The Patriots are the only team in 2025 that has not allowed a running back to gain 50 yards through the first eight games. Not a single running back has broken 50 yards against them. They’ve held opponents under a 100red yards rushing in six of their eight games. That’s a dominant run defense. Harold Landry has 5.5 sacks. Kavon Kesan has 4.5 sacks. Milton Williams has 3.5 sacks. The pass rush that didn’t exist last year now has legitimate threats. Robert Spain leads the team with 67 total tackles. The linebacker depths is real. And Christian Gonzalez being healthy has been massive. When he returned in week four, it unlocked the entire defense. Combined with Carlton Davis on the other side, the Patriots now have one of the best quarterback duos in the entire league. They can play man coverage. They can play zone. They’re versatile. They’re physical. It’s exactly what Mike Vrael wanted. So, where does this leave the Patriots? Well, they’re six and two with games coming up against the Falcons, Buccaneers, Jets, and Bengals. All four opponents combined have just 14 wins through eight weeks. The Falcons just scored 10 points against Miami. Tampa Bay has injuries piling up. The Jets and Bengals are dysfunctional messes. There’s a very real possibility that the Patriots could extend this win streak to nine games. That would be their longest winning streak since 2011 and 2012. Think about that trajectory. Four wins last year, potentially 10 wins by mid- November this year. And they’re not just sneaking out victories. The Patriots beat the Bills in Buffalo as two-point underdogs. They went to Tennessee and destroyed the Titans 31-13 in Vrabel’s first game back against his former team. They beat Cleveland by 19. These aren’t fluky wins. They’re dominant performances. And the best part is May is only 23 years old. This is his second season. He’s still developing. He’s still learning the offense. He’s still building chemistry with his wide receivers, and he’s already playing at an elite MVP level. His teammates are already saying he deserves MVP consideration. And it’s just incredible because the Patriots turned down that hall from Minnesota. They rejected the Giants offer. They stuck with their guy. And then when things went sideways with Mayo, they didn’t panic. They didn’t blow it up. They brought in Mike Vrabel, opened up the checkbook, and said, “We’re building around Drake May, and we’re doing it now.” And honestly, it’s incredible to see an entire organization transform within one year. Because now, before you even know it, the Patriots are once again leading their division. Let me know what you guys think about this in the comments section down below. Aside from that, I’m your boy Mike and I’m dropping our mic until our next upload. [Music]

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