Feb 5, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich (50) against the Atlanta Falcons during Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Former LB Gives Blunt Statement on Patriots' Expectations

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Jared Koch | Last updated Jun 23, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The New England Patriots made a variety of changes and adjustments across the course of a busy 2025 NFL offseason to effectively give their roster a sense of new hope heading into their debut campaign under new head coach Mike Vrabel, and perhaps even a chance to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

However, when polling some former players of the Patriots' regime, a few are seemingly keeping their expectations a bit tempered compared to the masses, who may be a bit more bullish on what New England could have in store.

One recent Patriots player to give their take on what the team could be in for across the 2025 season was former linebacker Rob Ninkovich, who appeared on Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski’s podcast, “Dudes On Dudes", being asked if the Patriots will win over or under 11 games.

“11 wins? They just had four wins,” Ninkovich said. “Let’s be realistic.”

Compared to the standard that New England was at last season, which found themselves to a top-five pick in April's draft, the leap to becoming a double-digit win team is certainly a major task to take on for any unit in the NFL, regardless of what some may be anticipating from the Patriots.

However, as Gronkowski went on to point out in the podcast, the Patriots have made a few drastic overhauls to this New England roster, changes that even draw similarities to how the Washington Commanders made a massive turnaround during the 2024 season–– factors that may lead to Ninkovich's realism showing out to be more-so an underestimation.

In the end, Ninkovich predicted the Patriots to be a bit lower than Gronkowski's bar.

"I think they're a nine, ten win team," Ninkovich said.

Patriots 2025. 10-7. Wild card birth.

: @DudesOnDudesPod pic.twitter.com/XZhsYT1UC1
— Savage (@SavageSports_) June 23, 2025

Time will tell how well this Patriots roster will be constructed for the season ahead, but one thing seems certain: more than four wins will be on the horizon.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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