Patriots 2025-26 Season

[Csfan1984]

Really not understanding why the Pats cut Peppers the other day. They don?t have much depth at safety.

Woodson looked to be the same player but younger, cheaper and no off the field baggage.

[Vermont Green]

Really not understanding why the Pats cut Peppers the other day. They don't have much depth at safety.

Woodson looked to be the same player but younger, cheaper and no off the field baggage.

Our projected starting safeties are Craig Woodson (rookie) and Jaylinn Hawkins (ranked 109th out of 171 safeties in PFF's "Regular" grading metric for 2024), with Duggar I guess as the first off the bench.  I was looking forward to Duggar and Peppers being kind of veteran anchors on defense.  They are both really good, established safeties (albeit Duggar coming back from injury).

I have no idea if Woodson or Hawkins are going to be as good, sure hope Vrabel knows what he is doing letting these veterans go (Strange, Epps, Peppers, Bourne, Bentley, etc) and going with younger players.  If it works out, great, better for the rebuild.  But I have some doubts the team is better for all of this right away.

[Goldstar88]

Really not understanding why the Pats cut Peppers the other day. They don't have much depth at safety.

Woodson looked to be the same player but younger, cheaper and no off the field baggage.

Our projected starting safeties are Craig Woodson (rookie) and Jaylinn Hawkins (ranked 109th out of 171 safeties in PFF's "Regular" grading metric for 2024), with Duggar I guess as the first off the bench.  I was looking forward to Duggar and Peppers being kind of veteran anchors on defense.  They are both really good, established safeties (albeit Duggar coming back from injury).

I have no idea if Woodson or Hawkins are going to be as good, sure hope Vrabel knows what he is doing letting these veterans go (Strange, Epps, Peppers, Bourne, Bentley, etc) and going with younger players.  If it works out, great, better for the rebuild.  But I have some doubts the team is better for all of this right away.

My thoughts as well.

[Neurotic Guy]

Last season was such a wasted and lost season. I?m trying to get my mindset adjusted to the idea that this season really is the first post-Bill year.  If the Pats look more like a pro football team and win 6-8 games - improving as the year progresses, and Maye looking like we hope, I?ll be satisfied.  9 or 10 wins would be fools gold though it would be fun to be in the hunt for a playoff spot. 

The fall of 2026 could be a lot of fun with the Patriots in the mix and Tatum back and ready.

[Vermont Green]

Head coach Mike Vrabel fielded questions about that during an appearance on The Greg Hill Show on WEEI on Tuesday morning. Vrabel said a Parsons trade "wasn't something that we really invested a lot of time or resources in" and that "we have to build some depth there to this roster, and you do that from the draft."

"No," Vrabel said. "I'm just saying that when we build this thing, and moving forward, we want to build it and make sure that we?re building through the draft. And then again, like I said, retaining the players that we feel like have developed and have earned contracts. And while Micah Parsons is a great player, just probably wasn't the best fit or the right time, I think, for us."

I see this as a similar philosophy to how the Red Sox have operated the last few seasons.  They don't want to pay for premium players and have them play on a team that isn't that good (doesn't have the "depth").  The Red Sox are probably now at the point of having the requisite "depth", the Patriots are not.

I think that is why you saw the exodus of players like Peppers, Bourne, Wise, and so on.  It isn't that these aren't good players, it is that they don't want to pay them to be on a bad team.

It makes sense to me, still surprising to hear it said out loud.

[Goldstar88]

Head coach Mike Vrabel fielded questions about that during an appearance on The Greg Hill Show on WEEI on Tuesday morning. Vrabel said a Parsons trade "wasn't something that we really invested a lot of time or resources in" and that "we have to build some depth there to this roster, and you do that from the draft."

"No," Vrabel said. "I'm just saying that when we build this thing, and moving forward, we want to build it and make sure that we?re building through the draft. And then again, like I said, retaining the players that we feel like have developed and have earned contracts. And while Micah Parsons is a great player, just probably wasn't the best fit or the right time, I think, for us."

I see this as a similar philosophy to how the Red Sox have operated the last few seasons.  They don't want to pay for premium players and have them play on a team that isn't that good (doesn't have the "depth").  The Red Sox are probably now at the point of having the requisite "depth", the Patriots are not.

I think that is why you saw the exodus of players like Peppers, Bourne, Wise, and so on.  It isn't that these aren't good players, it is that they don't want to pay them to be on a bad team.

It makes sense to me, still surprising to hear it said out loud.

Even if the Patriots were a fringe playoff team, I doubt they make a move like that. Since Kraft has owned the team, they?ve never made a trade for a star player in their prime where the team had to give up significant assets and then pay the player top dollar. Thats not how they operate.

[Roy H.]

Head coach Mike Vrabel fielded questions about that during an appearance on The Greg Hill Show on WEEI on Tuesday morning. Vrabel said a Parsons trade "wasn't something that we really invested a lot of time or resources in" and that "we have to build some depth there to this roster, and you do that from the draft."

"No," Vrabel said. "I'm just saying that when we build this thing, and moving forward, we want to build it and make sure that we?re building through the draft. And then again, like I said, retaining the players that we feel like have developed and have earned contracts. And while Micah Parsons is a great player, just probably wasn't the best fit or the right time, I think, for us."

I see this as a similar philosophy to how the Red Sox have operated the last few seasons.  They don't want to pay for premium players and have them play on a team that isn't that good (doesn't have the "depth").  The Red Sox are probably now at the point of having the requisite "depth", the Patriots are not.

I think that is why you saw the exodus of players like Peppers, Bourne, Wise, and so on.  It isn't that these aren't good players, it is that they don't want to pay them to be on a bad team.

It makes sense to me, still surprising to hear it said out loud.

I get it regarding a player like Parsons.  The Pats aren't in a position to fully take advantage of his skill set, and investing $48 million per year in him wouldn't have the necessary return to make it worth it.

That said, I do think the approach has to be different regarding the offensive line.  If Maye is going to reach his potential, he needs to be protected and he needs better than average targets around him.

[Vermont Green]

Head coach Mike Vrabel fielded questions about that during an appearance on The Greg Hill Show on WEEI on Tuesday morning. Vrabel said a Parsons trade "wasn't something that we really invested a lot of time or resources in" and that "we have to build some depth there to this roster, and you do that from the draft."

"No," Vrabel said. "I'm just saying that when we build this thing, and moving forward, we want to build it and make sure that we?re building through the draft. And then again, like I said, retaining the players that we feel like have developed and have earned contracts. And while Micah Parsons is a great player, just probably wasn't the best fit or the right time, I think, for us."

I see this as a similar philosophy to how the Red Sox have operated the last few seasons.  They don't want to pay for premium players and have them play on a team that isn't that good (doesn't have the "depth").  The Red Sox are probably now at the point of having the requisite "depth", the Patriots are not.

I think that is why you saw the exodus of players like Peppers, Bourne, Wise, and so on.  It isn't that these aren't good players, it is that they don't want to pay them to be on a bad team.

It makes sense to me, still surprising to hear it said out loud.

I get it regarding a player like Parsons.  The Pats aren't in a position to fully take advantage of his skill set, and investing $48 million per year in him wouldn't have the necessary return to make it worth it.

That said, I do think the approach has to be different regarding the offensive line.  If Maye is going to reach his potential, he needs to be protected and he needs better than average targets around him.

I agree regarding the OL.  I am worried that this OL may not be good enough.  And maybe some of the vets they released or otherwise moved on from just weren't that good.  The OL rookies last season didn't perform very well.  Maybe these rookies will be better.  I do think that Bradbury, Onwenu (playing his natural position), and Moses are improvements but I am not sure enough of an improvement.  Lots of "ifs".