When the Patriots selected Drake Maye in the 2024 NFL Draft, they had already declared that veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett would be the starter in Week 1. The call seemed logical, given how poor the offensive line’s roster was and the need to protect Maye from injury. Although Maye had overcome bad offensive lines throughout his time at the University of North Carolina, it would have been risky to put Maye under center with questionable protection. The call only got reinforced when Brissett got beat up through five games. At that point, Maye’s chance to rise to the occasion came.

The coaching staff decided Maye would be moved to QB1 in Week 6 against an excellent defense in the Houston Texans. The preseason concerns about his safety resurfaced, only for the rookie to prove just how impressive he was at avoiding disaster. No, the Patriots did not win Maye’s first career start. But the 41-21 loss to the Texans showed New England how far it was from supporting a highly drafted quarterback to contend, as the Texans were doing with C.J. Stroud. Their then-coach, Jerod Mayo, had accepted that as well.

“From a team-wide perspective right now, we let him down. It was his first game, and I feel like I let him down. We’ve just got to be better,” Mayo said. Of course, they had to. Even stats spell that out. Back in November, last year, Football Insights tracked every first-round rookie QB’s dropback EPA (Expected Points Added) compared to their team’s pass block grade (during their rookie year) from 2006 to 2024. As it stands, the Patriots have the worst pass block grade of any team on the list. Despite the awful o-line, Maye still has a positive EPA per dropback, putting him in the same category of QBs like C.J. Stroud, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Deshaun Watson, who found success as rookies with bad o-line play. Need more proof? Look at this.

Since moving to QB1, over the next 13 games, Maye was sacked 34 times for a total loss of 229 yards while getting along with a new starting offensive lineup every week. Not ideal, indeed, but a new stat from January might make you think twice. Reflecting upon the 2024 NFL season, Steven Patton of Patton Analytics put together a graphic to show how often a quarterback was sacked during the year and how often it was their fault versus the blame being solely on their offensive line. Quite stunningly, Maye was almost at the bottom with responsibility for only three of the 34 sacks on record. So, after a one-and-done season with Mayo, as the franchise entered the rebuild mode, the priority for Mike Vrabel was to protect Maye in the pocket. And if rumors are to be believed, he found that in an offensive tackle from Baltimore.

Ronnie Stanley, whom the Ravens drafted 6th overall in 2016, is soon expected to hit the free agency market for the first time in his career. So, of course, the Patriots are taking a keen interest in the prospect of signing a veteran to kickstart their rebuild. However, the Ravens still have the upper hand in keeping Stanley in Baltimore. They have 9 days until March 12th when the free agency market opens. Maybe in that window they can work something out to keep Stanley on board. Considering their GM Eric DeCosta feels confident in holding on to Stanley. Who knows the Ravens could pour cold water on the Patriots’ No.1 free agent target.

But they need to hurry. Time is of the essence for the Ravens. Once Stanley hits free agency, there’s no way he will go back to Baltimore. Why? Because the Patriots have all the cards necessary to give Stanley what he wants. As Mike Reiss of ESPN stated, “The Patriots intend to aggressively pursue Ronnie Stanley the moment he hits free agency.” Like the Patriots have more than $125M cap space—so money won’t be an issue for them. And considering the Ravens had just cut Stanley’s salary by $7.5M last year. There’s a huge probability he won’t be getting the deal he wants in Baltimore.

And there’s an expectation that Stanley might be looking for a contract upwards of $20M per season. Coming off a Pro Bowl year playing all 17 games with a pass block rate that stood 12th in the league. Stanley is hitting free agency at the right time in his career. Yes, he will be 31 soon and also comes with a long injury history. But getting him in Maye O-line to protect his blind side would be huge. Maye already has a knack for avoiding sacks using his quick thinking. So, Stanley can only help him improve further and the whole offense in general. Interestingly, as per a three-round 2025 NFL mock draft last month, Maye was projected to get elite protection with a top college tackle.

The Patriots are projected to take LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell with the No. 4 pick. Campbell, easily one of the best offensive linemen in this draft, has excelled at left tackle and on the interior line in his three years as a starter at LSU. This versatility will be valuable for a team like the Patriots. Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 320 pounds, Campbell has got a great size but isn’t slow at the snap of the ball or when moving. He rarely loses in pass protection, courtesy, mirroring his opponent’s movement. Campbell is also an excellent run blocker, who can climb to the second level of the defense to create more running room for the backs.

At No. 4, New England has a great chance to select its best offensive lineman. The first three teams — Tennessee, Cleveland, and the New York Giants — probably will pick a quarterback, with one or two teams selecting defense. So the Patriots have the perfect opportunity to solidify their offensive line here. Meanwhile, the squad is also looking to bring a former Super Bowl Champion through the doors of Foxboro.

Patriots to target Tom Brady’s former teammate

If not for a season-ending ankle injury in October, Chris Godwin would probably have had a triple crown year. Like in just 7 games, Godwin had 50 receptions, 575 yards and 5 TDs. He was on his way to a career-high year until an ankle injury took everything away. Now, his eight-year stay with the Bucs could also come to an end because of his constant trouble with injuries. Yes, Godwin has been superb whenever healthy, averaging 87 receptions for 1,065 yards and 5 TDs for the last 5 seasons. But he has only played 3 full seasons since joining the Bucs in 2017.

Injuries are the only concern for which the Bucs may be looking to move on from him. And if they do, the Patriots are waiting in the wings to grasp the opportunity of signing him. See, the Pats tried everything they could to poach Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. Once he got franchise tagged (again) they had to look for other options. And Godwin is the only other receiver who comes with heaps of experience in the league. Of course, Baker Mayfield wouldn’t want to lose his offensive weapon. But the Patriots could offer a fresh start to the Bucs receiver. Like I said, they have the money.

What the Bucs can offer the Patriots can double it and could still have a lot left in their purse. So, only time will tell whether money will be enough to land their top targets once the free agency market opens on March 12th. If not, then you know what others will say “Money can’t buy you success.” Period.