INDIANAPOLIS — No team in the NFL took a bigger leap forward than the Patriots, going from four wins in 2024 to a trip to the Super Bowl. So, how does New England find a way to improve yet again in 2026?
The Patriots are searching to find the answer to that question, but they’re certainly determined to find it.
“To have played in that game and tasted it and not come out, you know, on the winning side of that, I think it just motivates everybody to try to get back there and try to finish the job,” general manager Eliot Wolf said at the podium on the first day of the NFL Combine.
New England made huge progress in Mike Vrabel’s first year as a head coach, but did so with a lineup of opponents much easier than what the Patriots will now face with a first-place schedule. They’ll face the NFC North and AFC West, both loaded with playoff contenders, as well as games with the Jaguars, Steelers and a trip to the defending champion Seahawks.
Do the Patriots need to prove their 2025 success wasn’t a fluke? Wolf was asked Tuesday if the franchise is still rebuilding, and “how satisfied” he was with quarterback Drake Maye’s improvement in his second season, finishing as runner-up for league MVP to the Rams‘ Matthew Stafford.
“I mean, satisfied is a tremendous understatement,” Wolf said. “Drake made a ton of progress in a lot of areas, not only at the start of the season but throughout the season. I think people forget he’s 23 years old. There’s been a lot on his shoulders, and there will continue to be with the expectation that he has being a quarterback for the New England Patriots. I’m just really excited about him, his toughness, his competitiveness. He’s always the same guy.”
Wolf declined to address any specific free agents as the Patriots try to keep their Super Bowl roster intact in the next month — their free agents include edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson, safety Jaylinn Hawkins, defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga and tight end Austin Hooper. Chaisson and Hawkins were ranked in the top 60 of my best available NFL free agents list.
Wolf also acknowledged that the Patriots had ups and downs with two rookie starters on the offensive line, in left tackle Will Campbell and left guard Jared Wilson, who struggled with pass protection in the playoffs and in the Super Bowl loss.
“The last game was not very productive in a lot of areas on offense, and we’re just excited that Will and Jared are made of the right stuff,” Wolf said. “We’re excited about what they’re going to do moving forward.
“[Campbell] is really quick out of his stance, he’s technically sound, he’s adding more and more different pass sets to his toolbag he can use to combat different rushes. … He’s 22 years old, and we expect some improvement out of him as well.”
New England has the 10th-most available cap space, putting them in position to address needs and add to a strong young core of players. They’ll have to make a decision soon on whether to move on from veteran receiver Stefon Diggs, who has a $21 million salary and had limited success in the postseason. There’s a limited timeframe where they can build a strong contender, while Maye is inexpensive on his rookie contract, but Wolf said he doesn’t see an urgency as much as a commitment to growing the franchise the right way.
“I think we’re going to try to do what’s best — it doesn’t mean we have to spend because Drake’s on a rookie contract,” Wolf said. “We’re going to make decisions built for the short and long term as we see best moving forward.”
