Mike Vrabel Scoffs At Positive Reactions To Patriots’ Offseason Moves

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has been around the NFL long enough to know it’s best to overlook offseason hype.

Avoiding over-the-top excitement hasn’t been easy in New England, where the Patriots made a slew of free agency moves to improve their roster. Eliot Wolf and company loaded up on defense, found Drake Maye a legitimate No. 1 receiver and are in an advantageous spot entering the 2025 draft.

That’s all fine and dandy, but as Vrabel reminded everyone Monday, the bevy of transactions don’t really mean anything until New England starts winning football games.

“We want to win the division,” Vrabel told reporters at the league’s annual meeting in West Palm Beach, per Pro Football Talk. “We won March. Amazing. Which is something that’s comical. We’re never trying to just win March, we’re trying to be ready when the season goes, and it’s a long process.”

To be clear, the Patriots should receive a level of praise for their active offseason. New England entered free agency with a wealth of salary cap space and the organization used it to address a variety of needs. But after a string of lousy seasons, expectations for the Patriots still should be tempered at this juncture.

That can change once New England gets going on the campaign. But as Vrabel pointed out, his team still has a ton of work to do before Week 1.