Let him cook.

The Patriots just signed Christian Gonzalez to a massive contract extension. For most Patriots fans, this is an occasion to crack open an ice-cold Mug Root Beer in celebration. We will grant you 24 hours to celebrate, then it’s on to Seattle.

But first, there’s a bigger picture here that I’m not sure is being properly discussed, at least at this time. For me, this deal has me zooming out a bit. What does the Gonzo deal mean directionally for the Patriots?

Look, I’ve had my fair share of criticisms of Patriots ownership over the years. I don’t particularly like how it ended with Bill Belichick, and I don’t like the way the documentary about it was presented. That’s just my feelings on the matter, obviously. We can argue for days about all of this. There are fair criticisms there.

Let’s think about the direction of the Patriots for a moment. Where are they headed in the post-Tom Brady era? How did we get here? Think about the mountains of difficult decisions over just the past couple of years.

This isn’t going to be popular, but Robert Kraft and the Patriots deserve some credit for the state of the Patriots.

The greatest player to play the sport left. The greatest coach got fired. The Patriots were left with Mac Jones and a promise to Jerod Mayo.
First, we have Mac Jones. Some Patriots fans were still holding out hope for Mac leading into the 2024 season. The Patriots made a swift decision to kindly escort him out of the building, ending that era. That was a first-round pick, loved by many in New England at the time. They did the right thing and let him go.

The Patriots were staring down the 3rd overall pick. Some advocated for MHJ, Joe Alt, etc. The Patriots were offered a haul for the No. 3 pick (Drake Maye) from the Minnesota Vikings. This was a franchise-altering decision. They chose to just get the QB, and that’s going to go down as one of the biggest moments in Patriots history (perhaps even NFL history).

So here they were, QB in one hand, new coach in the other. A new era in New England. I personally thought the Mayo era looked bad from the start, but NO ONE in big/local media thought they would do the right thing once again and fire Mayo quickly. Again, to their credit, the Patriots let a loved person with much history with them go. Never to be heard from again as a coach, seemingly.

Was the decision to hire Mayo faulty? Extremely. However, again, NO ONE covering the Patriots thought the Krafts would do the right thing and get rid of him.

Ok, you’ve nailed the quarterback, which is THE MOST DIFFICULT thing to do in pro sports, arguably. What’s next? Well, in my mind, what’s next is to prioritize Drake Maye on his rookie contract. Weaponize the offense and essentially promote Maye to his rightful role as the most important Patriot in the locker room. That’s what a great modern organization would do: set your QB up for success.

Before we talk about the deals that were done, let’s mention the ones that weren’t. Remember Calvin Ridley? Brandon Aiyuk? The Patriots remained grounded in those negotiations, and they were right, in a massive way. Sometimes not sending a blank check is the appropriate response, like it or not.

The Patriots then acquired Diggs, Hollins, Will Campbell, and some other pieces that were integral in their very meaningful playoff push. They strategically surrounded Drake Maye with an improved roster, and it helped show that he’s one of the best QBs in the NFL. The cohesion, along with Mike Vrabel, landed the Patriots a trip to the Super Bowl.

Think about that. How many franchises never find their QB? How many franchises would have been left in the dust without Tom Brady AND Bill Belichick?

The Patriots watched their team lose in the Super Bowl and immediately responded. That’s an extremely tall task just six years after losing Brady/Bill. What would most teams do after this? Well, the Patriots weren’t satisfied.
They aggressively pursued one of the best WRs in the NFL (AJ Brown) for Drake Maye, along with Romeo Doubs. And now? Gonzo extension. Another fantastic move locking up one of the best CBs in the NFL, albeit a bit late.

Look, it’s not been PERFECT. The fact of the matter is it’s been directionally GREAT as of late. The Patriots aren’t resting on their decades of unprecedented success. By the way, they could. Robert Kraft could play it conservatively and watch his team slowly increase in value. That hasn’t been the case.

What we have just laid out is one of the most impressive rebuilds I have ever seen in sports, and I’m not sure we are appreciating that. They have stuck the landing on multiple high-level decisions that deserve praise. Period.

What happened to the Bulls after Jordan?

The Patriots could have easily faded into irrelevancy. By the way, most people expected them to. Instead? They’re the face of the NFL, one of the most talked-about teams in the league, have one of the best QBs in the league, and look to be very serious about winning football games.

I know Patriots fans, including myself, love to complain.

Can we recognize how amazing this moment is? Can we recognize how good we have it and how unprecedented this is?

Again, I say this as someone who has had my fair criticisms of the Patriots in the past.
Fair is fair. I’ve declared the Patriots all the way back.

The Patriots have shown how serious they are about bringing home a 7th Lombardi trophy. Most importantly, they’re relevant and competitive again. Can we ask for more? Who has it better?

raises Mug Root Beer

Most importantly:

LET’S GOOO! @Patriots

As always, thank you all for the shares, comments, retweets, and messages. It’s always overwhelming, but we love you all. Special thank you to my good friend TJ (@tjdissect).