Story by
Former NFL captain explains why Patriots are ‘built to last’
- Story by
- Former NFL captain explains why Patriots are ‘built to last’
The Patriots struggled to find their identity after Tom Brady left the organization in 2020. But now they appear to be back in the saddle under Mike Vrabel .
“The Patriot Way may have left when Tom Brady left, but Mike Vrabel brought it back, and they’re here to stay,” former NFL quarterback Kirk Cousins said on CBS after New England’s AFC Championship Game win . “There’s only six free agents coming up this offseason for them. That’s about half of what a normal team would have. So they are really built to last. They have an inexpensive quarterback. We could be seeing the makings of it, of a, dare I say, dynasty here. I think I’m a little early on that, but they’re not going anywhere.”
Advertisement
The six pending unrestricted free agents are: Austin Hooper , K’Lavon Chaisson , Khyiris Tonga , Jaylinn Hawkins , Thayer Munford Jr. and Vederian Lowe .
The Patriots also have five restricted free agents. But other than that, the core of the 2025 team should be a big part of 2026.
New England continued its storybook playoff run with a 10-7 win in the AFC Championship Game over the Denver Broncos to earn a spot in Super Bowl 60 .
After a failed 2024 season that saw the Patriots finished 4-13 for a second straight season, Robert Kraft decided to fire Mayo after Year 1. He immediately brought in Vrabel, and the first-year coach changed the culture almost instantly and began to build an identity.
Advertisement
The players bought in and the results showed on the field.
The Patriots will face the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl on Feb. 8. It will be a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX.
More Patriots Content
Read the original article on MassLive . Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
