After finally saying goodbye to Bill Belichick after the Hall of Fame-bound head coach was handed his papers during the spring, the New England Patriots have officially entered a rebuilding process, with the team looking to get things right with a coach, new quarterback, and long-term philosophy.
Will it work? Will the Patriots prove they are one of the more exciting young teams the NFL has to offer, with the potential for another Super Bowl run closer than some fans might think? Or will the team continue to look like one of the worst teams in the NFL, with fans eagerly counting down the days until the Celtics season begins in October?
Well, if some of their key players continue to struggle into the summer, which has reportedly been a pretty big problem, it's going to be increasingly difficult to sell fans on the 2024 season, with the prospects of another dud season very much a reality. Needless to say, opening night for the Celtics can't come soon enough.
1. Drake Maye
When it comes to the 2024 season, the Patriots' season will largely live or die based on the performances of Drake Maye, the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft and hopeful savior of New England football.
Unfortunately, if the season will be made or broken on Maye, it sure doesn't sound like the Patriots will be a very good team this fall, as all accounts from both training camp and the first preseason game are that the UNC product looks somewhat rough versus expectations, not to mention the performances of fellow rookie Joe Milton.
Asked about Maye's camp struggles before the first preseason game, Jared Mayo noted that he still believes in his young quarterback and compared his early struggles to a certain defensive player on the San Francisco 49ers a few decades back.
“Look, people are going to have their opinions. I would say the opinions inside of the four walls matter most, and I would say the people inside the four walls know what they're talking about. So, you can take that for what it is. We all support Drake. We all know what it's like to be a rookie in this league. Not you guys, obviously, but I do,” Mayo told reporters via Patriots.com.
“I know what it's like to be a rookie, and it's not all peaches and cream. You probably remember this: San Francisco, my rookie year, I got benched on third down. I only played early downs because I just wasn't ready, and that was like Week 10, right? It was like Week 10, Week 11. But it was a wake-up call for me to get benched. I was [Defensive] Rookie of the Year, and I still got benched. So, whatever we want to talk about with Drake, there will be ups and downs, and hopefully it ends on an up.”
Does it really matter how Maye looks right now? No. Does it matter how much he plays in the preseason or how he looks, for that matter? Nope; all that really matters is how Maye plays in the regular season when his number gets called. If he can shine when that day comes, the future in New England will be incredibly bright as a result.
2. JuJu Smith-Schuster
When it comes to players who have struggled during the preseason, one performer who looked so unimpressive that he isn't even on the team anymore is JuJu Smith-Schuster, the former Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl Champion who signed a three-year, $35 million contract with the team back in 2023.
Initially reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the Patriots decided to make the move now in order to afford the veteran pass catcher a chance to find a new team before Week 1, even if, after his efforts last season, is a lot easier said than done.
On paper, if the Patriots believed that Smith-Schuster was going to make the roster this fall, they likely would have kept him around until the end of the summer to allow him every opportunity to develop chemistry with Maye and company before the regular season opened up. By releasing him now and taking $9.6 million in dead money to make it happen, New England has effectively declared that they are better off with Smith-Schuster no matter what and, as a result, may struggle to find a new home regardless of his old accolades.
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