The New England Patriots are coming off one of the worst seasons in their franchise's history, finishing with a 4-13 record and securing the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
In response, New England parted ways with head coach Bill Belichick while both offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien and defensive play-caller Steve Belichick found new jobs at the college level. The Patriots also sent their starting quarterback, 2021 first-round pick Mac Jones, to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a trade for a sixth-round pick in return.
Despite having a ton of cap space, new executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf didn't add a lot of top-level veteran talent to the roster. He focused on resigning and extending a number of players that were already on the roster or were hitting the market. He added eight rookies through the draft and a few who weren't selected throughout the seven-round process.
Now, heading into the 2024 season, not many believe the Patriots will have a successful year. ESPN recently put together a list of the odds of each team winning the Super Bowl, playing in their conference championship and winning the division. New England is 250-1 to win the Super Bowl, 100-1 to play in the AFC Championship Game and 25-1 to win the AFC East.
Honestly, these all feel about right because there seems to be a huge talent disparity between the Patriots' offense and other teams' offenses. They might have kept their solid defense together, but losing both Belichicks could significantly impact the unit.
If New England were to finish as one of the worst teams in the league in 2024, it wouldn't be a huge surprise.