The NFL offseason has been a wild one with trades, free agency signings, and controversy in the air just about every week since the Rams beat the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.
Well, besides the Patriots. For some reason – with a quarterback on a rookie contract and a coach who’s about to turn 70, New England has basically stood pat. After a massive spending spree in 2021 they’ve let the rest of the league move forward as they stand by the wayside.
The one move they’ve made this offseason that was on the bigger side is the acquisition of wide receiver DeVante Parker from the Dolphins. After Miami traded for Tyreek Hill, Parker was the odd man out so New England sent a third round pick next year for Parker and a fifth.
Parker has been a hot and cold receiver since he was drafted in 2015. He had a breakout season in Miami in ’19 – and although he has struggled to stay healthy, he could be an outstanding “go-to” target for Mac Jones as long as he can stay on the field.
They’ve already started to put the work in – which is a start. Jones, Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor, and J.J. Taylor were seen working out this week in Tampa, Florida – doing on-field drills and running routes in preparation for the Patriots offseason program, which starts on April 18.
According to BetOnline.ag, the Patriots are projected to finish about a game under their 2021 win total:
OVER 8.5 wins (-125)
UNDER 8.5 wins (-105)
They’re also projected to finish third in the AFC East behind the Bills and the Dolphins according to BetOnline:
Buffalo Bills (-190)
Miami Dolphins (+350)
New England Patriots (+425)
New York Jets (+2500)
This is unprecedented territory for the Pats – but the AFC has loaded up and they haven’t. Even though this is the lowest preseason win total the Patriots have had in a long time – it feels about right. They were the 7-seed in last seasons AFC playoffs and several teams that didn’t make the postseason in 2022 are lapping them heading into this year.
It’s easy to freak out in the offseason, but New England still has work to do if they want to return to the postseason in 2022.
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