The New England Patriots have certainly fallen on some tough times, as they have posted back-to-back 4-13 campaigns and have made the playoffs just once over the last five years.
That follows a stretch in which the Patriots won six Super Bowl championships and captured 17 AFC East division titles between 2001 and 2019.
Things appear to be looking up for New England, as the Pats seem to have their franchise quarterback in Drake Maye and have spent a considerable amount of money addressing their defensive woes this offseason.
There is still plenty of work left to do, but owner Robert Kraft feels the Patriots are headed in a positive direction and offered a bold response when asked if he felt the team was still at "ground zero" in the timeline of its rebuild.
“I’ll get chastised for saying it, but I think we’re ahead of that,” Kraft told reporters. “I’m probably too excited. ... I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but after my family, this team is the most important thing in my life. And the bottom line is winning games."
New England still must repair its shoddy offensive line, and while it did sign Stefon Diggs, it must also add some more weapons for Maye. But Kraft thinks positive steps have been made.
“These last two years have been brutal, really," Kraft added. "So, I wanted to try to do whatever I could to get back to a system and a situation where we had hope and a chance to do something. And I really think we’re on that path now.”
The Pats still have the NFL Draft later this month to bring in some significant pieces, so we'll see if the Patriots are able to strike big in a few weeks.
Regardless, no one is genuinely expecting New England to contend in 2025, but some improvement is definitely necessary.
