New England Patriots - NESN.com
When the Patriots fired Jerod Mayo after New England’s 4-13 season, Drew Bledsoe knew a plan had to be in place.
“Well, first of all, let me say this, I was really bummed to see Jerod Mayo get fired because I know Jerod,” Bledsoe told Travis Thomas on the latest episode of NESN’s “Boston Has Entered The Chat” podcast. “He’s a fantastic human that was handed just a — I don’t know, he was handed a terrible situation. So, first of all, I was sad to see Jerod get fired.
“But, I will tell you, the minute that he got fired, especially so quickly after the game, I knew without knowing they were going to hire (Mike) Vrabel because Bob Kraft is not someone who makes snap decisions without having a plan and Vrabel was available. I knew that was going to be the choice. I think it’s a great choice.”
Bledsoe believes that Vrabel and the coaching staff he’s put in place will be able to bring the Patriots back to the winning ways that New England fans have become accustomed to through the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era.
“I’m excited about the future,” Bledsoe said. “It may not be this year that they’re gonna be back on top, but I would predict that in the next two, three, four years they’re going to be contenders again, and they’re going to be back in the hunt.”
The former No. 1 draft pick knows what it’s like to help rebuild a franchise. He relieved the injured Brady in the 2001 AFC Championship, en route to the Patriots’ first Super Bowl win. Although Charlie Weis was New England’s offensive coordinator when Bledsoe was under center, he is familiar with Josh McDaniels and his success with the Patriots.
“I think he’s going to be outstanding,” Bledsoe said. “… I think he’s got a great quarterback to work with. I really like Drake Maye’s game. In really tough circumstances this year, I thought he played very, very well. I think they’ve got the right pieces in the right places from that standpoint: the coordinator and the quarterback. And I love their head coach.
“I think there’s a really strong possibility that they’re contending very soon. If not in ’25, ’26, ’27, I can see them being contenders.”
