The latest edition of our Patriots mailbag answers questions about the front office setup, draft, and more.
The Mike Vrabel era is officially underway for the New England Patriots. As Vrabel must now put together his coaching staff, the focus also turns back to potential roster upgrades that are soon to be coming — putting the front office dynamics with a new head coach in the spotlight.
So, let’s get right into this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag.
Who will make the picks Ryan Cowden or Eliot Wolf? Who do I blame should we fail? – For Pats Sake
Eliot Wolf will still be leading the Patriots personnel department. Ryan Cowden will soon join the front office as Wolf’s No. 2. But, the belief is that Mike Vrabel will absolutely have final say over roster decisions.
With Vrabel’s time primarily being allocated to coaching the football team, Wolf and his staff will continue to elevate players during the season. Then when it’s time to make decisions they will choose off of that board put together by the personnel department with Vrabel ultimately having final say.
The hope is everyone is on the same page when those decisions must be made and Wolf and Vrabel have seemed to get off to a good start (already holding an extensive meeting Tuesday morning together to work through the entire roster).
If that relationship continues throughout the offseason and they are on the same page, the setup could work. If not, you can easily see the path to moving off of Wolf and elevating Cowden to lead personnel department.
Why is there confidence in Elliott Wolf leading personnel decisions? He offered so much money for [a third tier receiver] Aiyuk that I would expect all agents to salivate about dealing with him. – MTDreams
There’s still confidence there, although admittedly not as much as last offseason. Hopefully better results follow as Wolf’s sole focus is now back on the personnel work with Vrabel in the building.
I’d also disagree with your evaluation of Brandon Aiyuk. He was absolutely worth the contract they had prepared for him.
Is it fair to ask whether guys like Polk, Baker, Wallace, etc struggled because they were bad picks by Wolf or developed poorly by the staff that appears to be on their way out one and done? – ghosthaus
This is the other thing that keeps some confidence in Wolf, who even hinted at it himself. In an exclusive interview with FOX Sports near the end of the regular season, Wolf was on record saying he thought the internal development would be greater — specifically with Ja’Lynn Polk.
“We’re 3-13, so not good enough. Let’s start there. We had a lot of needs. I would say that I guess personally, what I was expecting maybe a little bit more internal development, which is a good lesson certainly heading into next year, and that you can’t always rely on that,” Wolf told FOX. “The rookie receivers didn’t have it really that much for us. And, you know, Polk was sort of in our estimation a plug-and-play. … Ultimately, to answer to your question, our record speaks for itself. We didn’t do enough.”
The wide receiver and offensive line did not appear to improve as the year went on. Both coaches were first year position coaches. Do you expect Vrabel will replace both position coaches? If yes, who do you see being hired? I’d personally would like Rob Moore as our WR coach. – DennyLemaster23
Do you think Wes Welker or Brian Hartline would come be the WR coach? – For Pats Sake
Moore makes sense due to his history with Vrabel in Tennessee but he is currently employed in Carolina. So, it remains to be seen if he can get out of the contract. Welker also has the connection with Vrabel as a player and coach in Houston, so he could also be on his shortlist.
Hartline has been one of the more popular names in recent years due to his work at Ohio State (Vrabel’s alma mater). It’s unknown if he’s willing to make the leap to the NFL but could see the appeal with working with Vrabel and potentially Josh McDaniels, who reportedly spent some time around Ohio State this past season.
Long story short, Vrabel finding someone with experience for wide receiver and offensive line coach would be ideal.
I think most people would say the Pats top 3 positions of need are (in no order of necessity) OT’s, WR1, Edge Which positions do you see the front office filling more so through FA, and which in the draft? – Sdpatsfan84
I think it’s more common around the league to see talent hit and move in free agency on the defensive side of the football. Starting tackles and wide receivers rarely hit the market so the Patriots may not even be able to pursue a Ronnie Stanley or Tee Higgins.
Looking at this projected free agency class, adding on the defensive line looks much more plausible — with Philadelphia’s Milton Williams and Josh Sweat leading the names to watch.
Should we start looking at Tennessee Titan UFA’s or any other potential veteran “Vrabel Guys” like AJ Brown via trade? – ParaMeds
Familiarity is huge in the NFL when it comes to coaches filling out their staffs and rosters. So, yes. An A.J. Brown trade would be at the top of my offseason list if things completely fizzle out in Philadelphia. Two other former Titans receivers to watch that could help raise the floor of New England’s room: DeAndre Hopkins and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
Also if Jacoby Brissett goes elsewhere and they still want a veteran in the quarterback room, Ryan Tannehill remains a free agent after not playing last season.
2025 Draft, pick # 4 — who makes the pick and who is the player? – ghosthaus
As of Jan. 17: Abdul Carter. I do worry at this point if he’ll even be on the board at No. 4, though.
Seems to me that many fans/analysts still want or believe that it is in the Pats best interest to trade back from #4 to gain more assets. Not as realistic as having #1 and working out a deal far in advance to the draft for much greater return, but if the right player falls to #4, which team/s would you like to see the Pats make a trade back with?
What would the return be, and what player do we subsequently target at the new draft position? – Sdpatsfan84
The issue here is you need a partner to trade with. In this draft it’s unlikely people are blowing up your phone in order to move up. The one scenario I could see is with the Las Vegas Raiders (No. 6) if Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter are off the board in the top three picks which slides quarterback Shedeur Sanders down. Would Vegas trade No. 6 and No. 37 to move up to No. 4 for a quarterback?
What is Joe Milton’s best value? Is he worth more to NE as a back up? Or say if a team like PIT offer an early day 3 pick? – 1stStateSoxFan
Depth at quarterback is always important especially when it’s on a rookie contract. So for now, I’d lean on keeping the super talented Milton in that role. I’d start to change my tune if someone wanted to get really aggressive with a third-round draft selection.
Do you think Mayo has a future in coaching and in what capacity? – Pat’s all folks
It will be really interesting to see what Mayo decides to do next year. I would not be surprised if he lays low and does not coach. If he does coach, two connections stand out to me: Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings. Mayo mentioned a relationship with Mike Tomlin a few times this past season so could find a role on his defensive staff. Similar in Minnesota as he was in the same Patriots draft class as Kevin O’Connell and could work on Brian Flores’ staff (if he does not get a head coaching job).
Is 6-5 a realistic expectation under Vrabel vs non-divisional opponents, and can you see us defeating one of either the Bucs, Bengals or (dare I say) Ravens? – SlowPolk
Home: Falcons, Panthers, Browns, Steelers, Raiders, Giants.
Away: Ravens, Bengals, Saints, Bucs, Titans.
The schedule does look favorable next season especially with many teams having questions at the quarterback position. But projecting schedules is always difficult. Just this past season the Patriots entered the year with one of the hardest schedules and finished with one of the easiest strength of schedules in the league.
What are you looking forward to most in 2025, Patriots related or otherwise? – Ish Tov
Hopefully playing meaningful games down the stretch. With the resources available to them and expected development from Maye, they should absolutely be competing for a Wild Card playoff spot.
That’s all for this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag. If you have questions you’d liked to be answered next week, submit them online in our weekly submission post or on Twitter using #PostPulpit. Make sure to be following @iambrianhines and @PatsPulpit as well.