With 2024 coming to an end, let’s take a look back at what was a franchise-altering year for the Patriots.
For the first 23 years of the 21st century, the New England Patriots were the NFL’s model franchise not just success in terms of success but also stability. Then came 2024, and with it some franchise-altering change.
Now that the year is coming to an end, let’s go back to revisit its defining moments. Needless to say, it’s been a whirlwind.
Bill Belichick and the Patriots part ways
Even though he oversaw the greatest run in NFL history, Bill Belichick was unable to recapture the magic in the years following long-time quarterback Tom Brady’s departure. Major personnel turnover both on and off the field, a series of underwhelming drafts, and some dubious investments finally caught up to him and his team in 2023.
Two years after last qualifying for the playoffs, the Patriots dropped to 4-13. As that worst season in three decades unfolded, speculation about Belichick’s future began to intensify. In the morning hours of January 11, we got an answer: following days of deliberations, Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft came to an agreement to end their collaboration after 23 years and six Super Bowl wins.
The two held a joint press conference later that day, hugging out any differences that might have developed over the last few years. And while the true nature of that “mutual parting of the ways” remains a secret, the end result was the Patriots moving forward without Belichick towering over their football operations.
It would not take them long to identify who they would want to fill arguably the biggest shoes in NFL coaching history, though.
From the Pats Pulpit archives: Bill Belichick, Patriots agree to mutually part ways after 24 seasons
Jerod Mayo gets promoted to head coach
A former first-round draft pick and multi-year team captain, who appeared in 111 combined games for the Patriots during his playing career, Jerod Mayo re-joined the club as an assistant coach in 2019. Unbeknownst to the general public, he was already viewed by ownership as a potential head coach in waiting at that point in time — so much so that he was eventually guaranteed that position in a 2023 contract extension.
With Belichick and the Patriots parting ways on January 11, the succession plan was put into motion. One day later, on January 12, the team announced Mayo as its new head coach.
During a introductory press conference in the new Gillette Stadium concourse a few days later, Robert Kraft said that he trusted his instincts when he decided to promote the now-former assistant coach. As a consequence of that conviction, the Patriots decided to forgo a traditional head coaching search and instead put their faith into the relatively inexperienced if highly regarded Mayo.
From the Pats Pulpit archives: Jerod Mayo announced as new Patriots head coach
Coaching staff undergoes major changes
Hiring Jerod Mayo as their new head coach was only the tip of the iceberg for the Patriots. While he did keep some of his colleagues around, the staff was completely overhauled — starting with the re-introduction of the coordinator title.
The first of the coordinators hired was DeMarcus Covington, who had previously served as New England’s defensive line coach. A few days later, Jeremy Springer was added to the mix as special teams coach, followed by new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.
Covington moving up felt like a logical next step, especially after Steve Belichick’s departure to the University of Washington. The additions of Springer and Van Pelt, on the other hand, happened after their respective jobs were originally offered to others; neither Marquice Williams nor Nick Caley wanted to come to New England.
Together with the three coordinator hires, several other moves to fill out the rest of the staff were made as well. When the dust had settled, the Patriots had 29 people on their coaching staff — a significantly higher number when compared to the small groups of assistants usually employed by Bill Belichick.
From the Pats Pulpit archives: Patriots announce 17 additions to Jerod Mayo’s 2024 coaching staff
Eliot Wolf takes over as quasi-general manager
Belichick leaving the Patriots not only created a massive opening at head coach, but atop the personnel department as well. For more than two decades, he had served as a de facto general manager and as such held final say over every football decision.
Whether it was Mayo’s inexperience or the Kraft family simply not wanting to give one person that much power again, the decision was made to hire a new quasi-GM. There was never any real doubt about who would end up getting that job, though: Eliot Wolf.
Wolf had served under Belichick the previous four years, and already oversaw the Patriots’ free agency and draft. Him getting named executive vice president of player personnel in early May felt like a formality — a formality that put an end to a general manager search that at times felt like a means to a simple end: find a way to fulfill the NFL’s Rooney Rule.
From the Pats Pulpit archives: Patriots officially name Eliot Wolf executive vice president of player personnel
Mac Jones trade ushers in new quarterback era
The writing was on the wall. Mac Jones, the Patriots’ first-round draft pick in 2021 and a 43-game starter for the organization, was benched midway through his disastrous 2023 season and unlikely to remain with the team under its new leadership.
On March 10, the plug was indeed pulled on his tenure with the team. Jones was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars in return for a 2024 sixth-round draft choice (that later turned into fellow quarterback Joe Milton) — a move that meant the Patriots would officially turn the page at the most important position on the field.
Only one day later, the next shoe dropped. The Patriots signed free agent Jacoby Brissett, a third-round draft pick by the team eight years prior, to a one-year, $8 million contract to serve as a potential bridge QB for the organization.
From the Pats Pulpit archives: Patriots trade QB Mac Jones to Jaguars
Patriots focus on in-house talent during the offseason
The deal Jacoby Brissett signed with the Patriots turned out to be the team’s biggest external pickup on a per-year basis. Other free agency pickups such as running back Antonio Gibson, tight end Austin Hooper and linebacker Sione Takitaki all came at a relatively modest price.
So, what did the Patriots do with their more than $80 million in salary cap space? They mostly used it on internal re-signings and contract extensions.
Among the players who the team decided to invest in were offensive lineman Michael Onwenu, safety Kyle Dugger, tight end Hunter Henry, wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, and outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings. In addition, the Patriots later also locked up defensive tackles Christian Barmore and Davon Godchaux, center David Andrews, and running back Rhamondre Stevenson on new deals.
While not all of the investments have paid dividends so far, New England’s plan was transparent throughout the process. The team was, by its own admission, focused on drafting and developing. Keeping a core of veterans around was part of that strategy, as was making the most of a valuable draft portfolio.
From the Pats Pulpit archives: Patriots free agency tracker: News, rumors, signings, instant analysis
Drake Maye gets drafted third overall
Holding the third overall selection in the 2024 draft, the Patriots were in prime position to address their need at quarterback. The biggest questions leading up to the late-April event were who the team would ultimately end up picking, and whether or not that “Godfather offer” would ever come.
Spoiler alert: it didn’t. The Patriots stayed put at No. 3 and saw Caleb Williams (to Chicago) and Jayden Daniels (to Washington) come off the board before they were on the clock. Eliot Wolf and company had 10 minutes to make a choice, but they only needed half.
With 4 minutes and 57 seconds remaining, they handed in their card: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina.
The Patriots picking Maye did not come as a surprise — behind the scenes fact: Pats Pulpit had the news story plus two follow-ups already pre-written in anticipation of that move — but there were questions about how ready he would be to take over. With Jacoby Brissett on the roster as a veteran option, Maye taking a redshirt year was seen as a possibility at that time. Needless to say, things have changed quite a bit over the last eight months.
As for the rest of New England’s draft class, it was focused on offense as well. Wide receivers Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker were added in the second and fourth rounds, bookmarking third- and fourth-round offensive line picks Caedan Wallace and Layden Robinson. Even a new developmental backup — the aforementioned Joe Milton — was selected in the sixth round.
From the Pats Pulpit archives: Patriots draft North Carolina QB Drake Maye with the 3rd overall pick
Christian Barmore’s blood clots diagnosis
Less than three months after signing a four-year, $84 million contract extension with the Patriots, standout defensive tackle Christian Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots. His medical situation, which was found out about over the weekend of his 25th birthday in late July, forced the fourth-year defender to spent virtually all of training camp and the first half of the regular season on the non-football illness list.
Losing Barmore for an extended period of time was, naturally, a blow to the Patriots defense. One of the most disruptive interior defensive linemen in football and a three-down player, the 2021 second-round draft pick was rightly identified as a cornerstone of New England’s efforts to rebuild after the Bill Belichick era. However, his diagnosis put a temporary halt to these plans.
Barmore eventually did return to the active roster in November, and saw action in four games. He never made the impact he has proven himself capable of, though, and was sent back to the NFI list in early December to end his season.
Obviously, Barmore’s situation is bigger than the game of football. From a pure Xs and Os perspective, however, the Patriots defense took a hit with his absence — the first of several suffered by the unit over the course of the season.
From the Pats Pulpit archives: Christian Barmore diagnosed with blood clots, Patriots announce
Matthew Judon saga ends with a trade
A little over two weeks after losing Christian Barmore for the foreseeable future, the Patriots also saw their most productive pass rusher of the last three seasons depart. Matthew Judon, who was involved in a contract dispute with the team over the course of the offseason, was traded to the Atlanta Falcons.
Judon had originally joined the Patriots as part of their 2021 free agency spending spree, and proved himself as reliable a player as any on their roster. However, coming off a season-ending injury and getting up there in age, Eliot Wolf decided to take a page out of the Bill Belichick playbook: better to trade early than late.
While Judon did net the Patriots a 2025 third-round draft pick, removing him from the equation — especially considering Barmore’s absence — was a significant blow to New England’s defense and pass rush in particular. It has yet to recover.
From the Pats Pulpit archives: Patriots trade Matthew Judon to Falcons for 3rd-round draft pick
Jacoby Brissett gets named starting quarterback
The Patriots went into training camp with four quarterbacks on their roster, but only two were realistically competing for the starting job: veteran Jacoby Brissett, who was anointed QB1 by Jerod Mayo essentially from the start of the offseason program, and first-round rookie Drake Maye.
While the young challenger showed promise throughout the summer, Brissett remained the first man up all of training camp and preseason. And while Mayo repeatedly praised Maye and his development, and at one point even claimed he had “outplayed” the veteran, the ultimate decision announced in late August did not come as a surprise: Brissett would enter the season as New England’s starting quarterback.
His tenure lasted five games.
From the Pats Pulpit archives: Jacoby Brissett named Patriots starting quarterback, ending competition with Drake Maye
Drake Maye takes over as QB1
The Patriots’ coaching staff from Jerod Mayo down preached patience when asked about Drake Maye and his development. There was a plan, and the team was intent on sticking to it.
Whether the plan changed, or Maye changed, or the circumstances simply forced the team’s hand, something happened coming out of a 30-13 loss in San Francisco in Week 5. With the Patriots at 1-4 and struggling on the offensive side of the ball, Mayo decided it was time to remove the training wheels and insert the rookie into the lineup.
Maye was announced as starter for the Patriots’ Week 6 contest versus Houston, and in his debut as the No. 1 QB showed the flashes the team — and the draft community — had seen in him coming out of North Carolina. While he did turn the ball over three times, he also threw three touchdown passes and did something no Patriots quarterback had managed to do since that one glorious glimpse of Bailey Zappe against Chicago in 2022.
He gave fans hope.
From the Pats Pulpit archives: Patriots make change at quarterback, will start Drake Maye against Texans
Back-to-back games tell the story of the 2024 Patriots
From an on-field perspective, the Patriots’ 2024 season was a major disappointment. While expectations were always moderate given the team’s rebuilding nature, the lows were significant; paired with little consistency and stagnant development in some key areas, New England very much seemed, and continues to seem, like a team still trying to figure out what it was and what it aims to be.
No two-game stretch better sums this up than the games against the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers the last two weekends.
The first of those games, versus a powerhouse opponent having scored 30-plus points in an NFL record-tying eight consecutive contests, was a highly-contested affair that saw the Patriots appears as equals if only for one half. New England lost 24-21, but the game was a step in the right direction.
Then came that second contest, a 40-7 home loss so bad it raised serious questions about Jerod Mayo’s future as New England’s head coach. Time will tell what will happen, but fact is that 2024 ended the way it started: with plenty of unhappiness at One Patriot Place.
From the Pats Pulpit archives: Chargers loss exposes concerning chinks in the Patriots’ armor
While this recap is not necessarily the most upbeat — that’s the nature of covering a 3-13 football team — we hope you still enjoyed spending your 2024 with us here at Pats Pulpit. We couldn’t do what we do without your support, and the community you help create and shape on a daily basis.
In the name of all of Pats Pulpit, a happy new year. And here’s to some more Patriots wins in 2025.