Can Mike Vrabel Really Change Patriots That Quickly?

The New England Patriots are entering a new era for the second time in as many years. First, Jerod Mayo succeeded Bill Belichick. Now, Mike Vrabel is succeeding Mayo.

The Patriots are in dire straits right now, as they are coming off of back-to-back four-win campaigns and have made the playoffs just once the last five years.

However, with Vrabel now at the helm, legendary New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe recently said that he is expecting things to turn around rather quickly.

“I would predict that within the next two, three, four years they’re gonna be contenders again,” Bledsoe said on NESN’s Boston Has Entered The Chat podcast. “And they’re going to be back in the hunt.”

The question is, are Bledsoe's expectations—and the expectations of many Pats fans—actually realistic given the current state of the team?

Well, expecting contention in two years might be a stretch considering all of the work the Patriots have to do to improve what is probably the NFL's worst roster.

New England does have a franchise quarterback in Drake Maye, but it has virtually no reliable weapons. Its offensive line is probably the worst in the sport. D efensively, the Pats lack pass rushers and genuinely impactful players outside of Christian Gonzalez and maybe Keion White.

So generally speaking, Vrabel doesn't have a whole lot to work with from the jump.

That being said, the Patriots have a ton of cap room to work with this offseason, so with the right moves, it stands to reason that they can jump back into contention within the next three or four years.

Of course, the Pats also need to hit on their draft picks, something they didn't do last spring. Outside of Maye, the Patriots largely struck out last April, which definitely caused some problems in 2024.

Not only that, but players have to actually want to sign with New England, which is an issue the Pats may encounter heading into free agency. After all, Seattle Seahawks receiver D.K. Metcalf has already said he would not welcome a trade to Foxborough, so you have to wonder if other star players feel the same way.

It's going to take great coaching by Vrabel and even better front-office decision-making for the Pats to rediscover their former glory.

We should probably temper expectations for now.