NFL Trade Rumors
Now that the hiring cycle, free agency, and the draft have all come and gone, we can look back and evaluate how each team’s offseason went. Different franchises have different priorities and needs each offseason, but you can still compare them relative to expectations. Did a rebuilding team make a good hire and improve the young talent on their roster? Did a contending team successfully reload?
Today, I’m taking a look at my three favorite 2025 offseasons. These aren’t in order, but I thought these three teams stood above the rest when it came to how they handled business. That doesn’t mean every move they made will work, or even that we’ll all look back in a year and feel the same way about their offseasons. But on paper at least, these teams did the best of the bunch.
After the 2024 season concluded, the Patriots had several priorities. The No. 3 pick, rookie QB Drake Maye, was sensational. His emergence changed the franchise’s future outlook, but offensive infrastructure around him was arguably the worst in the league. Major upgrades were needed across the board, as the cupboard was pretty bare at receiver and the offensive line was a liability.
Additionally, first-year head coach Jerod Mayo underwhelmed. He was New England legend Bill Belichick’s hand-picked successor, but he didn’t inspire confidence in his performance, with a general sentiment that he wasn’t ready for the role. The decision-makers for the Patriots felt they couldn’t wait around for Mayo to learn on the job and waste the rookie contract window with Maye, so they fired Mayo and began a head coaching search.
New hire Mike Vrabel was the obvious choice. A multi-Super Bowl winner at linebacker for the Patriots during his playing days, he was inducted into the Patriots’ Ring of Honor in 2023 while serving as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. Vrabel was let go by the Titans in a surprising move following the 2023 season, and he spent the 2024 season as an assistant with the Browns. While in Tennessee, he led the Titans to back-to-back No. 1 seeds in the AFC playoffs, putting together the franchise’s best run in a long time. Between his pedigree as a head coach and his playing history with the Patriots’ organization, hiring him was both the obvious choice and a slam-dunk move.
While Maye’s breakout is great news for New England, they were still likely two offseasons away from true contention. They didn’t try and fix everything in one go. Instead, they spent money fortifying their defense, bringing in guys like CB Carlton Davis, DT Milton Williams, ED Harold Landry III, and ED K’Lavon Chaisson. These additions upgraded that unit while allowing them to focus on offense in the draft. Fifth-round ED Bradyn Swinson adds a young pass rusher with upside in the middle rounds, as well.
On offense, the big free-agent additions were RT Morgan Moses, C Garrett Bradbury, and WR Mack Hollins. Moses and Bradbury...
