Mankins
Vrabel
Mcginnist
Welker
Milloy
Moss
Branch
Im probably missing some more but those are guys off the top of my head that left the team in surprising fashion. All very good/all pro caliber players.
Why this idea is so outlandish is funny to me
I wouldn't use the term "outlandish" but I find it extremely far-fetched coming off a season where they won the Super Bowl and that the notion that losing Revis & McCourty leading to a situation where you would "blow it up" and move the starting QB for assets (whatever those might be). A starting QB that is the single biggest reason why this team has remained in contendership for the past 15 years.
As to the list above, you neglected the biggest one that came back to hurt them, IMO. Asante Samuel.
Of those on the list, Branch is probably the only one you could really argue hurt them. Especially when you consider how the 2006 season went down & how it finished in the AFCCG in Indy.
Losing all those other guys didn't really hurt them much. Welker may have been a year too early and Milloy had some good years after leaving but both were more financial considerations than anything else.