Colin Cowherd believes that the Patriots are on the upswing entering the 2025 season. Despite closing out a disastrous 2024 season where New England posted a 4-13 record and ultimately fired head coach Jerod Mayo after just one year on the job, New England did find hope in the promising play of rookie QB Drake Maye. And while New England still has a ways to go when it comes to upgrading the supporting cast around Maye, the Patriots have made significant strides in terms of bolstering their coaching staff and defensive personnel. After hiring Mike Vrabel as head coach and overhauling significant portions of Mayo’s former staff, New England opened free agency last week by signing several playmakers like DT Milton Williams, CB Carlton Davis, and LB Robert Spillane. The Patriots are still a work in progress as they try to build up their roster in the post-Bill Belichick era. But New England’s busy offseason has already impressed Cowherd, who made a bold prediction about the team’s fortunes in 2025. “The Patriots (are) one of my surprise teams in the league,” Cowherd said Friday on his FS1 show, “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” “I think they have the second-most talented quarterback in the division, and I don’t think it’s particularly close, in Drake Maye. They’ve got to get him weapons in the draft, but it’s a very good tight end, running back draft. “They upgraded with Mike Vrabel at (head) coach from Jerod Mayo, who just didn’t work. They spent a lot of money. This is going to be a different team. I think they will double their win total, no question.” Even with Maye’s promising play, New England still has several holes to address on the offensive side of the ball, be it upgrading an offensive line that coughed up 52 sacks in 2024 or bolstering a wideout group that hasn’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since the 2019 season. The Patriots still have $97 million in cap space this offseason, per OverTheCap, although the pool of game-changing talent available in free agency has started to dry up. New England’s best bet of adding top talent likely rests in the NFL Draft, where the Patriots hold the No. 4 pick, as well as another three selections in the top 80. The addition of a franchise tackle like Will Campbell or two-way playmaker like Travis Hunter could pay immediate dividends, although New England is still likely a year or two away from making a legitimate push in the AFC East.