Kelley: Recapping 2024 So Far, but the Patriots Kept Belichick

Preface to this article: Hypotheticals are generally pointless. Nobody knows the answers to hypothetical situations because those situations never happened. That doesn’t stop them from being interesting or entertaining. So, with the New England Patriots not playing this Sunday, why not entertain one?

What if the Patriots did not “part ways” with Bill Belichick following the 2023 season? But in this scenario, everything else remains the same. Everything senior executive Eliot Wolf and head coach Jerod Mayo have done simply would have been done by Belichick instead. All the results would have been the same.

What would be the response be from Patriots fans? How would Boston sports media react? Would there be any comments from Robert Kraft?

Also Read – Kelley: Robert Kraft Belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Let’s look through a few of these situations where the only thing that changes is Bill Belichick.

Hiring a New Staff

Robert Kraft held a press conference in January to announce that Bill Belichick would be staying in New England for the foreseeable future. Although Belichick remained as the head coach, there was plenty of staff turnover. He opted to give out traditional roles of offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator in 2024.

On offense, Bill O’Brien departed to become the head coach of Boston College. Belichick replaced O’Brien with Alex Van Pelt, who was recently fired by the Cleveland Browns. Van Pelt brought several of his former Cleveland co-workers with him to New England.

Jerod Mayo left for a job in the media, and DeMarcus Covington was promoted as a first-time defensive coordinator. Steve Belichick left to become defensive coordinator at the University of Washington after Covington was promoted. All of the new hires were coaches Belichick had not worked with previously, aside from wide receivers coach Tyler Hughes.

“Ready to Burn Some Cash”

After talking with Kraft, Belichick opted for “less of a hard-ass vibe” this season. This was on display in his first radio interview after the season. Belichick was open and friendly. When asked about his expectations for the 2024 season, Belichick responded, “We’ll win more than four games,” referencing the team’s 4-13 finish in 2023.

The hosts asked Bill Belichick whether Robert Kraft had assured him that the Patriots were willing to spend money.

“We bringing in talent 1,000%,” responded Belichick with a smile. “Have a lot of cap space and cash. Ready to burn some cash!”

The free agents signed by New England were led by offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor, who quit the team after one game. The other talent they brought aboard included QB Jacoby Brissett, RB Antonio Gibson, TE Austin Hooper, OL Nick Leverett, LB Sione Takitaki, DB Jaylinn Hawkins, and PK Joey Slye.

According to Patriots salary cap expert Miguel Benzan, New England is currently $36,448,760 under the cap.

Retaining and Extending Patriots Players

Despite the New England Patriots four wins a year ago, Belichick decided to keep many of the team’s free agents. They signed Kendrick Bourne and Hunter Henry before open free agency began (Bourne would miss the start of the season on the PUP list due to the ACL injury he suffered last season).

When free agency opened, the Patriots retained more of their players. Mike Onwenu, Kyle Dugger, Anfernee Jennings, Joshua Uche, and Jalen Reagor were among others to sign up for another season in New England.

Belichick then began to work on players entering the final year of their contracts. Christian Barmore, David Andrews, Rhamondre Stevenson, Jabrill Peppers, Jahlani Tavai, and Davon Godchaux received extensions. This left 13 players from the 4-13 team of 2023 signing new contracts in 2024. But there would be some roster turnover.

2024 NFL Draft

New England drafted quarterback Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. Belichick chose to start Jacoby Brissett, whom he brought back after eight seasons, to be the starter.

Belichick traded backward in the second round before taking Washington WR Ja’Lynn Polk, who was the number two option for the Huskies in 2023. He caught five passes in his first three games. Belichick complimented Polk’s blocking.

The New England Patriots took Caedan Wallace in Round 3. He was exclusively a right tackle at Penn State, and the Patriots had recently re-signed their right tackle Mike Onwenu. Free agent signing Chukwuma Okorafor was also a right tackle. New England seemed to ignore the need for a left tackle. Okorafor, Vederian Lowe, and Wallace would all start there in the first three weeks of the season, with all three struggling to varying degrees.

After drafting guard Cole Stange in the first round of 2022 and guards Sidy Sow (Round 4) and Atonio Mafi (Round 5) in 2023, Belichick took another guard in the fourth round of the 2024 draft: Layden Robinson. Robinson would start the first three games of the season with Strange on IR, Sow out with an ankle injury, and Mafi not making the team. His PFF grade is 51.6 through Week 3.

Javon Baker, reportedly removed from some draft boards due to character concerns, was selected in Round 4 as well. He has yet to record a catch and gained attention by criticizing Mass State Police for giving him a ticket on Instagram Live, then saying he had no regrets.

Javon baker just got a ticket pic.twitter.com/2i7XFTjiWl

— Bryson (@OwnedByBryson) September 1, 2024

Third-string QB Joe Milton III, CB Marcellas Dial, and TE Jaheim Bell rounded out the Patriots draft class. None have made significant contributions yet.

Trades

Belichick traded Mac Jones to Jacksonville, ending the former first-round pick’s time in New England. Belichick sent Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he would serve as Trevor Lawrence’s backup. The Patriots received a sixth-round pick, which they used to draft Joe Milton III.

Matthew Judon missed most of the 2023 season after consecutive Pro Bowl seasons in his first two years in New England. He was healthy entering camp, but unhappy with his contract situation. Judon was entering the final year of his contract. Instead of extending the veteran sack specialist, Judon was traded to the Falcons. Atalanta gave New England a third-round pick in 2025 in exchange for Judon.

New England was active in trying to trade for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Reportedly, Aiyuk chose to take less money to return to San Francisco. However, that was not before the Patriots trade offer, which included Kendrick Bourne, was leaked.

The Patriots’ Performance

The New England Patriots entered their Week 1 game on the road as heavy underdogs against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Patriots won 16-10 behind a strong running attack and winning the turnover battle. It was an exciting start to the season. Belichick’s players celebrated by giving him a Gatorade shower as time expired and Robert Kraft came into the locker room to present Belichick with the game ball.

The home opener did not go as smoothly for New England. They battled the Seattle Seahawks tough but time management issues, particularly at the end of the first half, proved costly. The game went to overtime with the Patriots receiving. They went three-and-out, opting not to go for it on fourth-and-one. Seattle drove and kicked a field goal for a 23-20 Seahawks win. Despite the loss and time management issues, there is still a lot for the Patriots and their fans to feel good about after two games.

Week 3 preparation was shortened due to a Thursday Night Football game against the New York Jets. The Patriots enjoyed success against the Jets for years, even in the post-Brady seasons. But New York dominated New England from start to finish. The Patriots abandoned trying to run the ball early, had no time to pass, and couldn’t stop anything the Jets tried on offense. A 24-3 final score didn’t do justice to how lopsided the game felt.

So, Did Anything Change?

In these scenarios, nothing changed. The same staff was hired, free agents were signed, and prospects were drafted. The same comments were made. Nothing changed except Bill Belichick was put in the place of Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo. So, how do people feel about recapping the 2024 post-Belichick time in New England with Belichick remaining in power? Are they closer to the playoff win Robert Kraft desires? Has a more media-friendly approach and being less hard-assed paid dividends yet? Does any of this affect the way people feel about the team?

Or, do people only worry about the New England Patriots record, which currently sits at 1-2, and not occupy themselves with the rest? Would these same events have hit exactly the same way, whether they happened under the new regime or the old one? Since it’s only a hypothetical question, nobody will ever know for sure.