Bill Simmons foresees 2024 Commanders-esque season for Patriots under Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye

The New England Patriots did not have a great campaign last season. They finished with a disappointing 4-13 record under head coach Jerod Mayo. The team then decided to revamp the coaching staff and roster, bringing in Mike Vrabel as the new head coach.

The Patriots drafted rookie quarterback Drake Maye last year. He took over the starting quarterback duties after an underwhelming performance by Jacoby Brissett. Now, analyst Bill Simmons believes that the franchise will have a revival era this upcoming season, similar to the Washington Commanders.

On the Colin Cowherd podcast, Bill Simmons talked about the future of the New England Patriots under Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye. He stated that their preparations this offseason have been an exact copy of what the Commanders did last year.

"The Patriots recipe is exactly the same as Washington last year," Simmons said. "The Washington thing did not make sense. Then you look at it it's like terrible coaching staff, all of a sudden they have a good coaching staff."

"They all of a sudden had a good quarterback. The year before, they didn't. They spent a bunch of money on free agents. They did well in the draft. And they played an easy schedule. So we know that the recipe is, we look at it every year. It's reasonable to go from four wins to ten. Like we see it every year.... It's always about a schedule and a coach and a QB."

The Commanders had been struggling the past few years in the NFL. However, when Dan Quinn took over as the head coach last season, things completely took a U-turn for them. They got QB Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Commanders went on to have their highest win campaign since 1991. They finished with a 12-5 record and qualified for the postseason. However, they were eliminated in the NFC Championship game by the Eagles, bringing an end to their Super Bowl dreams. Bill Simmons believes that the Patriots could be looking at a similar record this upcoming season.

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Patriots sign Stefon Diggs to provide more options to Drake Maye

Mike Vrabel and his team made another offseason move to bolster their offense on the field. The team decided to bring in wide receiver Stefon Diggs on a three-year, $69 million deal for the upcoming season.

Diggs is currently rehabilitating from his season-ending ACL injury. He played in eight games for the Texans last season while tallying a total of 496 yards and three TDs receiving.

The arrival of Stefon Diggs will give Drake Maye a proper target and a WR1 on the field. Prior to this, they had brought in Mack Hollins on a two-year $8.4 million contract. It will be interesting to see how the combination of Maye and Diggs works out for them this upcoming season.