Could Mike Vrabel and the Patriots make a jump to the Commanders level in the 2025 season? –Boston Herald

A year ago they were the Patriots.

A team with a top-five pick, a new, culture-building head coach and the most cap space in the league.

A franchise trying to shake off years of dysfunction like a wet dog entering a dry house.

They have overhauled their front office. The offseason came and the front office executed a rebuilding plan around a young quarterback. The plan succeeded.

Washington unexpectedly secured a wild-card spot last month and won its first playoff game in nearly two decades last weekend. Jayden Daniels is a rising star. Around him, Dan Quinn has been cheering on the rest of the Commanders as they look to postseason hope, if not expectation, for years to come.

So why not the Patriots?

Mike Vrabel has a higher career success rate than Quinn, even after just leading the Commanders to a 12-win season. The Patriots can spend their top-five pick on a position around their young quarterback instead of using it to select him like Washington did with Daniels. And they can invest their league-leading $120 million in cap room — nearly $40 million more than the Commanders did last year — on outside free agents, considering all of their own free agents are 30 years or more are older and maybe two have been there from the beginning.

If the Patriots are actually spending money, they would be wise to follow part of Washington’s plan in free agency.

The Commanders prioritized the trenches, adding a starting center in Tyler Biadasz and a left guard in Nick Allegretti, along with a few backups. Defensively, Washington bolstered its pass rush with defensive ends Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler and former top pick Clelin Ferrell.

Quinn knew Fowler because he coached him in previous assignments, as well as veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner, whose value to the Commanders quickly exceeded the one-year, $6.5 million contract he signed in free agency. Wagner brought not only critical system experience but also leadership skills to Quinn’s first-year defense. Wagner was elected captain and helped fellow linebacker Frankie Luvu have a career year in which Luvu recorded 99 tackles, eight sacks and one interception.

If the Patriots want to repeat this success, they need players like Wagner; Leaders, culture drivers and veterans who played under Vrabel. Basically real professionals who know what to do without instructions and can bring young talent along. There were virtually no players like that on the Patriots’ roster last year, and their culture suffered as a result.

Additionally, the Pats would be wise to sign players and contracts like the one Washington signed last year. By purchasing low- and/or mid-level veterans, the team can build depth on a case-by-case basis and minimize risk in the event of an injury or poor performance.

For example, running back Austin Ekeler signed a two-year contract worth up to $11.43 million. Statistically, Ekeler has underperformed this season, but since his contract isn’t bloated, the Commanders can essentially cut him for free next year and haven’t suffered any real financial hit in the meantime.

On the other hand, 34-year-old tight end Zach Ertz has had his career revitalized with a cheap one-year deal. Ertz caught 66 passes for 654 yards and seven touchdowns during the regular season. His presence has made Daniels a trusted target in key situations and strengthened his leadership in the locker room.

Because Ertz signed a cheap, short-term contract, there was no risk if he bottomed out. With him instead enjoying a post-Prime breakout, the Commanders have more leeway than usual while employing a player of his caliber who would have otherwise cost much more. In this context, Washington traded for Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore in November, allowing his contract to take cap hits of $18 million and $18.5 million over the next two seasons, respectively.

However, the Commanders started last season with more blue-chip players than the Patriots have now. The Pats would be wise to surround their tent-pole talents, Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez, with some of the best wide receivers (Tee Higgins and Chris Godwin) and offensive tackles (Ronnie Stanley Jr.) in free agency, and then see Check out the B-listers on the market.

Enough of these veterans, plus a few successful draft picks and a jump from Maye, could be enough to surprise as a Wild Card team in 2025. Vrabel proved he could win with a mediocre squad at Tennessee, where he never fielded an elite quarterback. He often won as an underdog.

Player development should improve under Vrabel’s team, which is guaranteed to be more experienced and credible than Jerod Mayo’s team. Even though the Pats are expected to win between six and seven games next season, Washington was right there last year.

And the rest was up to them.

Mayo dismissal expected?

Nearly two weeks after Mayo was fired as the Patriots’ head coach, one of the team’s most respected veterans spoke publicly about his departure.

On an episode of the Pats Interference podcast, Pats cornerback Jonathan Jones revealed that some teammates expected the move while others were “shocked.”

“Everyone sees it in their own way. Some people are shocked, some people are like, ‘Hey, I expected that,’ and a little bit of everything in between,” Jones said. “It’s just one of those things you try to tell people that it’s about business. That’s what this league is and that’s what it always will be. So (I) just try to tell the guys to do the best they can do for themselves individually in the future, and to the guys who are under contract, get in shape and get ready next year.

“And when you have the opportunity to get to know the new coaches, you can respond to their needs and expectations.”

The 31-year-old Jones is the team’s longest-tenured defenseman. He’s scheduled to hit free agency in March but hopes to return to the only franchise he’s ever played for. The Patriots originally signed Jones as an undrafted free agent in 2016, after which he helped the team win two Super Bowls over the next three years.

Jones said Vrabel’s hiring hasn’t changed his desire to return to New England, assuming the two sides can reach an agreement this spring. The Patriots’ other top free agents include quarterback Jacoby Brissett, defensive lineman Deatrich Wise, tight end Austin Hooper and kicker Joey Slye.

Brady remains at FOX

Tom Brady will conclude his first season as FOX’s lead NFL game analyst with the broadcast of Super Bowl LIX on February 9th.

Prior to that, Brady will call the NFC Championship Game for FOX and continue to lead the Raiders’ ongoing search for a new head coach and GM as a minority owner in Las Vegas. His dual roles have led to some speculation that Brady will leave FOX to focus full-time on his duties with the Raiders, particularly after the league placed restrictions on him as a broadcaster before approving his minority ownership interest last October.

However, his longtime agent Don Yee told Sports Business Journal this week that Brady intends to fulfill the 10-year, $375 million term he signed with the network in 2022.

“Tom has had an incredible amount of fun working with FOX this year and he is really excited about the future with FOX and his growth with the team,” said Yee. “And this year was the first year of a long relationship.”

Earlier this week, former teammate Vince Wilfork was less than enthusiastic in his praise of Brady’s work as a broadcaster when asked for his opinion in an interview on New York radio station WFAN.

“I don’t know,” Wilfork said.

Pressed for his reaction, which included a long look at the co-host, Wilfork replied: “I mean, he knows the game very well. That’s the way it is. But I’d rather have him be my quarterback than do what he’s doing now on TV. I (would) love him as my quarterback.”

Kim leaves the staff

According to ESPN, Joe Kim, the Patriots’ director of skills development, will not return for the 2025 season.