3 immediate moves Mike Vrabel should make for Patriots to become Super Bowl contenders in 2025

Following a dismal 4–13 season, Mike Vrabel has replaced Jerod Mayo as head coach of the New England Patriots.

The Patriots will be greatly impacted by this appointment because Vrabel is an established leader who led the Tennessee Titans from 2018 to 2023 to a 54-45 record. In addition, he is well-known in New England as he played for the Patriots for eight seasons. He was a member of the team led by coach Bill Belichick and he won three Super Bowls in his time at the club.

Having said that, Vrabel is still expected to face significant challenges as head coach, given how poorly the Patriots have performed in recent years. Over the last two seasons, New England had a woeful 8-26 record. Quarterback Drake Maye offers some hope, though, as he displayed moments of genius at some points in his rookie 2024 campaign.

Here, we'll examine the moves Vrabel and the Patriots must make in the upcoming offseason to contend in 2025.

Priority moves for the Patriots in the offseason after hiring Mike Vrabel

#1 - Sign a No. 1 wide receiver

The main priority of the New England Patriots offseason is to position the squad for success by surrounding quarterback Drake Maye with adequate weapons.

Perhaps the Patriots should avoid selecting wide receivers in the 2025 draft as it seems like they have trouble selecting receivers. The team selected Ja'Lynn Polk in the second round and Javon Baker in the fourth round of last year's draft, but both players only managed 13 catches in their rookie seasons.

Kendrick Bourne and DeMario Douglas are two good receivers for New England, but none of them have proven that they can lead an offense.

The Patriots should make it a top priority to obtain their man on the free market in 2025, as many excellent receivers are expected to be available. Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals, Keenan Allen of the Chicago Bears, Amari Cooper of the Buffalo Bills and Chris Godwin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a few of the players the team may target.

The organization can also make a trade for a league-proven receiver.

#2 - Fix the offensive line

Protecting Drake Maye should be high on the New England Patriots' priority list going into the offseason.

This season, the team's offensive line was a chaotic jumble. The Patriots' quarterbacks were sacked 52 times, which is tied for the fourth-highest number in the NFL.

Ronnie Stanley of the Baltimore Ravens will be the most suitable option if the Patriots decide to improve their offensive line through free agency. However, there will be other viable options like Tyron Smith, Cam Robinson and Dan Moore.

The NFL draft will also feature a handful of promising offensive tackles, such as Kelvin Banks Jr. of Texas and Will Campbell of LSU. The Patriots will likely get the opportunity to select one of the two players as they own the fourth overall pick.

#3 - Fill a clear hole in their pass rush

The New England Patriots first traded away Matthew Judon before the 2024 season and then followed that up by trading away Josh Uche to the Kansas City Chiefs in October.

Now, the team has Keion White and not a whole lot else in the pass-rushing department, so New England will have to fill this void during the offseason.

Among the free agents the team could pursue is Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Josh Sweat, who registered 41 tackles and eight sacks in 16 games in the regular season.