A little over six years after Tom Brady played his final game for the franchise, the New England Patriots are headed back to the Super Bowl to face the Seattle Seahawks. Their new franchise quarterback, Drake Maye, has made the Patriots’ latest turnaround possible.
New England’s resurgence this season has, of course, been a group effort. New head coach Mike Vrabel has installed a winning culture and has navigated a difficult postseason path. An influx of talent in free agency and the 2025 draft significantly improved a roster that won just four games a year ago.
However, the Patriots’ Super Bowl window wouldn’t be open if Maye hadn’t made the jump from Pro Bowl alternate to MVP finalist over the last calendar year.
With Maye already serving as one of the league’s biggest difference-makers, this new incarnation of the Patriots should just be getting started. Could another dynasty be in the making?
Let’s take a look at how New England got here, what comes next, and what lies ahead.
Maye’s Historic Rise Gives New England a Chance to Win Now
While Sunday’s 10-7 victory over the Denver Broncos was anything but pretty, the win earned Maye a special place in history.
By advancing past the AFC Championship Game, the 23-year-old is set to become the second-youngest quarterback to start in the Super Bowl, behind only Dan Marino, who also reached the big game in his second season.
Naturally, Maye and the Patriots are hoping things unfold differently than they did for Marino and the Miami Dolphins in early 1985. They lost Super Bowl XIX and have not returned to the title game since.
The Seahawks have an elite defense, a balanced offense, and arguably the most complete roster in the league. Beating them will be anything but easy.
However, fans should expect the Patriots to give the NFC champions a stiff test in two weeks. New England’s defense has risen to the challenge of postseason play, limiting opponents to a combined 26 points through three games. Defensive standouts such as Christian Gonzalez, Milton Williams, and K’Lavon Chaisson should ensure that New England stays in the game.
Along with a multifaceted backfield—led by Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson—Maye can give the Patriots the chance to win it.
Now, the Patriots will want to see Maye play more efficiently and with better ball security than he’s done to this point in the playoffs. He’s completed just 55.8 percent of his passes, has taken 15 sacks, and has turned the ball over five times. Maye has fumbled a total of six times.
Maye hasn’t quite looked like the same quarterback who led the league in completion percentage (72 percent) during the regular season while throwing for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a league-best 113.5 passer rating.
However, Maye has shown the ability to deliver in critical moments when needed. When the Patriots needed one final first down to put away the Broncos, they made sure to put the ball in his hands.
And Maye’s underwhelming playoff numbers can be forgiven, to a degree, by the level of competition. The Broncos, Houston Texans, and Los Angeles Chargers all finished the regular season with top-five overall defenses.
Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will have two weeks to prepare a game plan that highlights Maye’s biggest strengths, including his ability to make off-script plays.
Expect Maye’s elite downfield passing prowess and scrambling ability to be central to New England’s game plan. In what should be another tight contest, one or two big gains could make the difference.
If Maye can limit miscues while continuing to make the sort of game-changing plays that few other quarterbacks can make, New England will have the chance to open its latest Super Bowl window with the franchise’s seventh Lombardi Trophy.
Maye Probably Hasn’t Reached His Ceiling Yet
In addition to his aforementioned passing numbers, Maye rushed for 450 yards and four touchdowns during the regular season. He also made highlight reels regularly with his combination of touch, accuracy, and arm strength.
Physically, the 6’4″, 225-pound Maye has just about every tool a quarterback could hope to possess. What should thrill Patriots fans—and possibly worry the rest of the AFC—is the fact that the North Carolina product probably hasn’t reached his final form.
Including the postseason, he has just 33 starts under his belt. The more experience he gets, the more rapidly he’ll be able to diagnose coverages, identify pressure earlier, and recognize when to give up on a play.
Poor pressure awareness and ball security were also issues for Maye during the regular season.
Maye is also only in his second season under McDaniels. After another offseason together, Maye should enter 2026 with a better command of the system and, perhaps, an expanded playbook.
In other words, Maye has been good enough to get the Patriots to the Super Bowl as a sophomore quarterback. He may well be more efficient, more effective, and more dangerous next season and moving forward.
Improving his supporting cast couldn’t hurt, either. While this year’s offensive group was much better than last year’s, it isn’t exactly an elite lineup.
The Patriots added receivers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins in free agency. They also signed center Garrett Bradbury before drafting tackle Will Campbell and guard Jared Wilson. However, Diggs was the only wide receiver to top 700 receiving yards, while New England’s line surrendered 48 regular-season sacks.
If Maye does improve his level of play and gets a better offensive group around him, he should go from being an unexpected MVP finalist to a perennial MVP favorite.
That would be huge for New England’s outlook over the next few seasons, as Maye will still be on a rookie contract. He won’t even be extension-eligible until next offseason, and any extension should still keep his salary in check through 2028—which will be Maye’s fifth-year-option season.
Being able to build around a rookie quarterback contract is a luxury in the NFL, and the Patriots should have the chance to build an even more impressive overall roster this coming offseason.
The Patriots Have Built Their Roster Wisely
Is a regression in 2026 possible for the Patriots? Of course. New England will face a first-place schedule, won’t be underestimated by any opponent, and will have to navigate the injury risks that come from playing an additional four games.
Injuries can quickly turn a promising team into a non-factor, as we saw with the Washington Commanders this past offseason.
However, a regression always felt somewhat likely for the Commanders, who had a similar one-year turnaround but who relied heavily on aging free-agent additions on short-term deals to bolster their 2024 roster.
Executive vice president Eliot Wolf and the Patriots seemingly approached the 2025 offseason with the big picture in mind. Key additions like Diggs, Williams, and Carlton Davis were signed to multi-year deals. The list of key contributors slated to hit the open market in March is relatively short.
Chaisson, safety Jaylinn Hawkins, and defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga might be the only impending unrestricted free agents who will be considered true priorities to re-sign.
The Patriots are projected to have $38.7 million in 2026 cap space. They should have the financial flexibility needed to re-sign the players they wish to keep while improving other areas of need.
As noted, the Patriots could use another playmaking pass-catcher and more depth along the offensive line. Defensively, adding a pass-rusher should be a priority.
While New England’s defensive front has been excellent in the playoffs, the defense recorded a mere 34 sacks in the regular season.
As Matt Holder and Alex Ballentine noted when assessing end-of-season NFL team needs for Bleacher Report, additional depth at tight end and linebacker would be beneficial as well.
If Wolf wants to chase a premier free-agent target like wideout Alec Pierce, edge-rusher Trey Hendrickson, right tackle Braden Smith, or tight end Kyle Pitts, he can. The Patriots can then further bolster their roster in April’s draft, where they’re set to hold 11 total selections.
New England’s collection of draft and cap capital might be the biggest reason to believe the Patriots have an open Super Bowl window and aren’t simply one-year wonders.
The Patriots have punched their first ticket, and they can carry a more complete roster into their pursuit of a second. And they shouldn’t have to make any risky moves, like trading away key players or critical draft capital, in order to do it.
Patriots fans will rightfully spend the next two weeks focused on the present. However, there doesn’t appear to be a franchise in the NFL with a brighter future than New England.
*Cap information from Spotrac. Draft information from Tankathon.
