Post-GOAT: Patriots Sub-Super Without Tom Brady

The New England Patriots made nine Super Bowl appearances from 2001-18 but haven't come close to returning since Tom Brady left town. It's time for the Patriots to find a new franchise quarterback and launch a rebuild.

It's Super Bowl Week, and neither Bill Belichick nor his former New England Patriots are anywhere to be found. Again.

For nearly two decades, New England seemed to be an annual participant in the NFL's premier event. From 2001 through the 2018 season, the Patriots played in the big game nine times and won six of them.

In 2023, which turned out to be Belichick's swan song, New England wasn't even close to the spot it held five years prior. The Patriots' four-win season resulted in a last-place division finish.

Still searching for a reliable quarterback, and devoid of offensive weapons, New England is in need of a complete rebuild. No matter how good of a head coach that defensive guru Jerod Mayo may prove to be, the Patriots need a franchise signal caller if they hope to pose a threat in an AFC East that features Josh Allen, Tua Tagovailoa and a rehabbing Aaron Rodgers.

Armed with the No. 3 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, newly-promoted general manager Eliot Wolf should probably kick off his tenure by taking a quarterback. After all, it was the quarterback that separated New England from the competition for all of those years. It was the quarterback who earned Super Bowl MVP honors following four of those six title game victories.

Realistically, the rebuild needed to start when Brady walked out the door in 2020. The AFC East has been dominated by Allen and the Bills ever since. A relative non-factor, the Patriots have had a losing record in three of those four seasons. Led by then rookie Mac Jones, New England managed to secure a Wildcard berth in 2021 only to suffer a 47-17 road loss to Buffalo in Round 1.

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Belichick's vaunted defense didn't stop the Bills once that day with Allen leading touchdown drives on all seven of the team's possessions until the final series that ended in victory formation.

The Patriots haven't been a serious contender for any of the past four seasons, a far cry from where they once were. Without his quarterback, Belichick went out with a whimper. Now, it's up to Wolf and Co. to start fresh. 

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