ESPN Grades New England Patriots Offseason Highly

The New England Patriots entered uncharted territory this offseason.

With a new head coach, and as a result a new general manager, the team embarked on a journey it hasn't had to do in over 20 years. With that being said, what was the national perception around the team's offseason?

Jan 17, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo addresses media at a press conference announcing his hiring as the team's head coach at a press conference at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN's Seth Walder graded every team's 2024 offseason, and to New England he assigned an A-minus. He named drafting Drake Maye with the No. 3 pick as 'the big move', signing Jacoby Brissett as the 'move he liked', and not signing a veteran guard as the 'move he disliked':

From Walder: Sure, New England's offseason will hinge entirely on how Maye pans out. But the moves the Patriots made around drafting the rookie quarterback make sense for a team building toward reopening its contending window in 2025. The Patriots brought back offensive tackle Mike Onwenu, defensive tackle Christian Barmore and edge rusher Joshua Uche for cheaper prices than expected and added Brissett as a high-quality bridge and/or backup quarterback for $8 million -- also cheap...Most importantly, the team has plenty of resources left. It has a lot of cap space in 2024 ($47 million as of this writing) and 2025 ($118 million). That might be too much space heading into next season, so maybe the Patriots should have spent a little more, but they are set up well to add more talent again next year.

An A-minus is a very positive sounding grade for a team that was desperate for a big offseason. New England stacking up multiple big off-seasons is exactly how they will try to rebuild themselves into an AFC contender once again.