2025 Patriots Season

Following the firing of Jerod Mayo at the end of the 2024 Patriots Season, Patriots owner Robert Kraft expressed how important it was to bring in the right person with hopes of getting his team back into a position of competing for championships.

Mike Vrabel ended up being that person, and he accomplished exactly what Kraft had been hoping for in 2025.

The Patriots came together during the offseason and, despite a 1-2 start, won 10 straight games en route to a 14-3 regular-season finish. They steadily improved throughout the year and looked completely different from the team of one year earlier, both in coaching and execution.

They won three consecutive AFC playoff games, including an impressive victory in a Denver snowstorm to capture the AFC Championship. Although they fell short against Seattle in the Super Bowl, the season still left them with a strong foundation for the future.

Less than an hour after Mayo gave his final postgame press conference after the team's 23-16 win over the Bills on January 5, 2025, the news came out that he had been fired.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft spoke the next day about the decision and took responsibility for Mayo's struggles.

“I’m going to be very brief here and say this whole situation is on me," said Kraft. "I feel terrible for Jerod because I put him in an untenable situation. I know that he has all the tools as a head coach to be successful in this league. He just needed more time before taking the job. In the end, I’m a fan of this team first, and now I have to go out and find a coach who can get us back to the playoffs and, hopefully, Championships.”

Mayo finished 4-13 in his first season as Patriots head coach, with the club left to begin the search for who might potentially replace him ahead of the 2025 season.

Following a brief coaching search, Mike Vrabel was hired as the new head coach of the Patriots on January 12, 2025.

"Excited to get to work, excited to meet the people in this building that have made this place special, find out what they need, find out how I can help them, how I can help them do their job better, how we can enhance the stuff that we do well, and then find out what the areas of focus are and get to work," said Vrabel during his introductory press conference. "I want to galvanize our football team. I want to galvanize this building. I want to galvanize our fans. The most important thing are the players. There's some of them right here. I want to provide a program that provides their ownership, but also their accountability of each other, and one that they'll be proud to be a part of and that they're going to fight for."

"You guys are going to ask me questions about culture, which I'll be happy to talk about and discuss. One thing I've realized about culture is that you can find out what your culture looks like when your family, your business, or your team is at its low point."

“It’s not when you’re winning Super Bowls, or it’s not when you’re 7-1 or 10-1 because then everybody’s waving towels and everybody’s happy and they’re excited to come to work. But when you get hit in the mouth, or you’re down, or the chips are against you, then you can take a snapshot of what your company or your team looks like, and then you’ll find out what culture you have. But that culture is going to be built on winning, a competitive spirit throughout our roster, throughout our players, and throughout our coaches and our staff, and the ability to put the team first and care about somebody other than yourself. I’m excited to do that. I’m excited to get to work."

As the process crawled along, Vrabel had also interviewed with the Jets about their potential head coach opening. Some thought it was done to put pressure on the Krafts to hire him, although reports later came out that the interview simply allowed Vrabel to be thorough during his job search.

“Related to Vrabel and the timeline, there’s a rumor in NFL circles, and again, this is just a rumor,” said Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal. “There’s a rumor in NFL circles that Vrabel didn’t take the Jets interview to pressure the Krafts. He did it to go and get background research on the Jets, having an idea that he might be the next Patriots head coach. I just think that’s interesting.”

Vrabel also set the expectations early, noting that every player in the building would need to "earn the right to be here," with Vrabel also adding that the players who give their all and help the team will be rewarded accordingly.

“We’re going to earn the right to be here every day. We’re going to remove entitlement from our football team. We’re going to get everything that we’ve earned from the head coach to the position coaches, all the way down to the players. We’re going to earn the right to be here every single day. I always say that I don’t want to get into too many messages that will be geared for the players, but I hold those conversations."

"Those are special conversations between the coaches and the players, but we want to treat every player the same way they treat the team, and we want to treat every employee the same way that they treat the team. If they care about the team and they come here with a great attitude and a willingness to work and help the team, I’ve asked Robert to do everything that we can for them, to support them and their families. That’s the type of environment that I want to build, and I’m excited about it."

After departing to become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders following the 2021 season, Mike Vrabel brought Josh McDaniels back to New England to become the team's offensive coordinator. McDaniels was hired on January 21, 2025.

The team interviewed a variety of coaches, including Vikings quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski, but McDaniels remained the favorite throughout the process and was ultimately the person they selected to run New England's offense and develop Drake Maye.

Following the news, Maye admitted he was excited to get to work.

"For sure, Coach McDaniels, obviously, what he’s done there and the success he’s had," said Maye during an interview with Sirius XM Radio. "Fortunate to be able to have a guy come in who’s done it at a high level and learn from him coaching one of the best ever and the best ever, in my opinion, Tom. Got a great chance to go back and all those years of film you have in a little database, it’s all their play calls and all Coach McDaniels’ stuff and what he did with Tom. It’s fortunate for me to go back and study it up and get ready for this next season.”

Patriots Free Agency Additions (13):

• LB Harold Landry – 3-year deal
• DT Milton Williams – 4-year deal
• LB Robert Spillane – 3-year deal
• OT Morgan Moses – 3-year deal
• QB Joshua Dobbs – 2-year deal
• DT Khyiris Tonga – 1-year deal
• OL Wes Schweitzer – 1-year deal
• S Marcus Epps – 1-year deal
• C Garrett Bradbury – 2-year deal
• CB Carlton Davis – 3-year deal
• LB Jack Gibbens – 1-year deal
• WR Mack Hollins – 2-year deal
• WR Stefon Diggs – 3-year deal

Patriots Free Agency – Players they Re-signed (8):

• WR JaQuae Jackson – Re-signed as an ERFA
• OL Ben Brown – Re-signed as an ERFA
• OT Demontrey Jacobs – Re-Signed as an ERFA
• CB Alex Austin – Re-Signed as an ERFA
• LB Christian Elliss – Re-Signed as an RFA (Matched LV Offer Sheet)
• TE Austin Hooper – Re-signed
• FS Jaylinn Hawkins – Re-signed
• LB K’Lavon Chaisson – Re-signed

Patriots Free Agency Departures (9):

• OT Chukwuma Okorafor – Released
• LB Sione Takitaki – Released
• DT Davon Godchaux – Traded to Saints for 7th Rd Pick
• C David Andrews – Released
• LB Curtis Jacobs – Released
• OT Caleb Jones – Released
• LB Andrew Parker Jr. – Released
• C Lecitus Smith – Released
• Ja’Whaun Bentley – Released

One thing that was notable as the free agent period opened was that Vrabel did something we saw Bill Belichick do ahead of the 2001 season, and that was bring in players that Vrabel had worked with previously.

Both Harold Landry and Robert Spillane were two key players Vrabel had relationships with, as well as being guys that could also help build culture within the locker room.

The club also made some difficult decisions that offseason. They moved on from Ja'Whaun Bentley, David Andrews, and Joe Cardona, each of whom was a longtime player under former coach Bill Belichick. Vrabel ultimately turned over a sizeable portion of the roster, and it was clear that each player added was with the intent of helping establish a new culture with his football team.

They were among teams who made a splash in free agency, with the Patriots adding Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams. They also added receiver Stefon Diggs, providing the Patriots with an impact player on each side of the football.

The offensive line was also addressed. The Patriots signed Morgan Moses, who anchored the right side of the offensive line, and Garrett Bradbury, who did a solid job at the center position.

On defense, they added CB Carlton Davis, who ended up bringing a solid veteran presence opposite of Christian Gonzalez, while tackle Khiryis Tonga evolved into a terrific rotational inside player along the Patriots' defensive line.

Overall, Vrabel and New England's front office pulled the right levers and established a group that was terrific on both sides of the football all year, and it proved to be a key reason why they nearly finished things off with a Lombardi Trophy.

Massachusetts native Katie Nolan spoke with Seattle’s DK Metcalf on an episode of the 'Casuals with Katie Nolan' podcast that offseason, with Nolan doing her best to sell the idea of Metcalf donning a uniform for the home team. Nolan did her best, telling the receiver she felt he would really like living in Massachusetts while trying to gauge his interest.

However, it didn’t sound like she got the answer she was hoping for. Metcalf instead made it clear he had no desire to come to Foxboro.

“Massachusetts is a really lovely place,” said Nolan. “Living in Massachusetts is awesome, and I just wanted you to know that. It would be cool for you at some point in your life if you wanted to, if that’s how the stars aligned, I think you would really like living in Massachusetts. Do you agree, you think?”

Metcalf answered flatly, “No.”

“What?” replied Nolan. “You couldn’t see yourself ever living in Massachusetts?”

“Look at how long it’s taking you to say the word,” said Metcalf. “No. It’s not a desirable place, in my opinion.”

“Oh man, are you sure?” replied Nolan.

“Great organization,” added Metcalf. “Great organization.”

A video of Diggs on May 28, 2025, circulated online, with the receiver being seen with multiple women on a boat, with Diggs holding what appeared to be a pink substance.

The incident happened over the Memorial Day holiday, with the club days away from completing its four remaining OTA sessions.

Vrabel said at the time that he and the team were “aware” of the video.

“Obviously, we want to make great decisions on and off the field," said Vrabel. "We're hoping that, with our time here on the field today, that when we don't have a script, and we're on the call periods, that we're making great decisions.”

Nothing ultimately came of the incident, but it was a distraction that was talked about quite a bit after it happened. It also reportedly led to some frustration internally, which had some wondering about Diggs' potential future with the team.

Fortunately, by the time training camp got underway and eventually the regular season, it became just a blip on what was an otherwise fairly uneventful offseason.

Things were contentious when it came to contracts involving players in the second round in 2025, with rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson ultimately becoming the final 2025 Patriots Draft pick to sign his contract.

The club finally locked up the 38th overall selection after what was definitely a long set of negotiations. The rookie running back's four-year deal is also reportedly fully guaranteed, with Henderson joining other players around him from that group in that category.

At the time of Henderson's signing, just 18 of 32 players were under contract with everyone above pick #42 having received fully guaranteed deals.

The problem started largely due to a recent precedent that was set by two clubs. The Houston Texans gave second-round wideout Jayden Higgins a fully guaranteed deal, which was the first domino to fall. The Browns then followed that up by also giving their second-round pick, linebacker Carson Schwesinger, a fully guaranteed deal.

In the Browns’ case, they were stuck due to the fact that Schwesinger went at the top of the round, with Higgins going right behind him. Since Higgins’ deal was guaranteed, they didn’t have much of a choice.

Those two deals brought everything to a screeching halt until other teams began following a similar precedent.

Still, after finally signing Henderson, the Patriots were thrilled to have their explosive young running back.

“There was no disagreement on TreVeyon,” said Wolf after the draft. “It was like, ‘This is the guy.’ So we were excited to add him there.”

“Really, really fast, explosive, just a threat to score every time,” he added. “And the right kind of kid and super tough.”

Terrell Williams' first season as a coach in New England ended up taking a scary turn and being put on the back burner for health reasons.

Mike Vrabel announced during a press conference in September, following a series of events, that Williams had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which would see him be away from the team indefinitely.

"The other thing is this week is Crucial Catch. And I, unfortunately, I have to tell you that Terrell Williams was determined to have prostate cancer and is in the process of treatment, meeting with specialists, and figuring out the best plan of attack to be able to attack this and heal it and fix it and allow him to get back to better health," said Vrabel. "You know how much Terrell means to me personally and to the people on this football team. So again, we want to send our regards and just publicly let everybody know that's what he's dealing with. When he's ready to talk, he'll talk on his behalf. But I wanted to let you know that's what was going on."

"So we'll continue as we have been with Zak Kuhr calling the defenses. I felt like that went well. I think the communication through the week, the organization hasn't missed a beat whatsoever. I think those guys are doing a great job over there. Vinny DePalma is helping as he progresses to working with the linebackers, and he was doing that role anyway. Again, really comfortable with where we're at and how we're operating. But just our thoughts and prayers and 'T' knows all this, we talk all the time, but just that are with him. His family has been through a lot, and we care about him."

The diagnosis came a little over a month after he collapsed during a practice on August 4, 2025. The team initially said he was being treated for dehydration. Prior to that, he had received a 'health scare' in May that kept him away from the team during the club's spring sessions.

The club initially announced back in early September that Williams would be stepping away due to a possible health issue, with Vrabel's announcement being made a couple of weeks later.

Williams was declared "cancer-free" on January 31, 2026, with the Patriots' defensive coordinator being present but in a limited capacity while Zak Kuhr ran the defense in his absence.

Over the course of the 2025 season, Mike Vrabel talked about his team being road 'warriors', with the movie 'Warriors' becoming a theme over the course of the season.

Vrabel said that it started back when the team made a trip to Miami, and it took on a life of its own from there.

“Because when we started this thing in Miami, I ran out of WWF clips to show them about the Road Warriors," said Vrabel. "So the next thing I could think of was that movie clip, and that’s what we went with. And it’s amazing what sticks. I didn’t think at the time that it would have stuck. But here we are in the end of January, and it’s still sticking.”

Veteran wideout Mack Hollins went all-in, with the receiver carrying around the bottles just like the scene from that movie. Vrabel laughed as he recalled how that played out, and Hollins seemed to be all-in with the reference.

“I mean, the first time, I think Frank [Piraino] emptied two soy sauces and a red hot bottle, and was walking around the building And I’m like, ‘What are you doing?’ And he was like, ‘Warriors!’" said Vrabel. "And I was like, ‘That’s a soy sauce.’ It’s like a soy sauce bottle and a Red Hot. And then Mack [Hollins] went out and found the… He said he studied long and hard. So I’m sure there’s bottles around here.”

Injuries became an issue down the stretch, with some of their key players not being 100% during New England's playoff run.

The most notable name was Harold Landry, who started out as the team's top pass rusher after totaling 8.5 sacks before a knee injury ultimately sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season. Vrabel did his best to try and manage Landry to have him available in the postseason, but the edge rusher was limited after he appeared in just 51 of 265 snaps (19.2%) during the playoffs.

Robert Spillane also dealt with an ankle injury during the Bills game that kept him out for three weeks. New England struggled in his absence, and it was obvious that he also wasn't 100% during the postseason.

But one of the key names was Will Campbell, who endured a knee injury that saw him carted off the field during the team's match-up against the Bengals in Week 12. He would go on to miss the next five weeks until finally coming back in Week 18 and playing 45-of-59 (76%) snaps against Miami in the finale.

From there, Campbell played every snap in the postseason, but it was clear he wasn't 100%. He struggled both against Houston and even more so against Seattle, with the rookie's footwork clearly being hampered by his knee.

Eliot Wolf said after the season that Campbell was missing a lot of the lower body strength that had made him so successful during the season.

“Will, specifically, when he came back from that injury, I personally didn’t see the same level of lower-body strength that you saw before the injury,” said Wolf. “I think the film would attest to that. He probably had three of his four worst games in the playoffs. But before that, I thought Will played really well all year.”

Following the Patriots' incredible 2025 season, the rest of the NFL world took notice of what was going on in New England, and there were both coaches and one key player up for an award as the league held its 2025 NFL Honors ceremony ahead of the Super Bowl.

First-year head coach Mike Vrabel earned AP NFL Coach of the Year honors, winning it for the second time after having won it back in 2021 when he was the head coach of the Tennessee Titans.

Also receiving recognition was offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who was named AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year thanks to his performance as he helped guide Drake Maye to the best season of his young career to that point.

Maye also finished as the runner-up in MVP voting behind Matthew Stafford, with just one vote reportedly separating the two players.

Expand each block for recaps, video highlights, and links to relive what happened throughout the 2025 New England Patriots season.

The November 4th NFL trade deadline came and went without the Patriots making any additions. They were, in fact, sellers at the deadline, trading Keion White and a conditional 7th round pick to the Niners for a 6th rounder. And they traded Kyle Dugger to the Steelers for a 6th rounder.

The Patriots had 10 picks in the 2026 NFL draft at their disposal to work with, which included an additional fourth-round selection and four picks in the sixth round.

Dianna Russini reported that NFL sources suggested Tennessee’s owner, Amy Adams Strunk, was hesitant to make deals with New England due to how Mike Vrabel’s tenure in Nashville ended.

Two players on Tennessee’s roster—running back Tony Pollard and edge rusher Arden Key—were reportedly being sought by New England. But Tennessee declined to deal with the Patriots.

Meanwhile, the team did deal away two players. Kyle Dugger was traded to the Steelers, while fellow defensive player Keion White was dealt to San Francisco.

Expand each block for recaps, video highlights, and links to relive what happened throughout the New England Patriots' postseason run.