Two of the franchise's greatest players praised the New England Patriots' recent season.
Gronkowski spent time at the facility last season to sign a one-day contract to retire as a member of the . Edelman was around the team during their ramp-up period to Super Bowl LX. Both of the Super Bowl champions were impressed with how the season went, despite the disappointing ending.
l. "And they're just going to keep on building on that from here on and, going into next year, I'm sure they're going to be making the playoffs on a consistent basis now.", in the first year of the Mike Vrabel era, won 17 total games en route to their first trip to the Super Bowl since both Gronkowski and Edelman were on the team in 2018. Second-year quarterback Drake Maye finished second in the MVP voting, while other young players contributed all season long. And although a bad outcome in the final game of the year -- a 29-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, in which both sides of the ball didn't have their best showing -- it should leave New England fans with hope heading into 2026. Jan 24, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman and tight end Rob Gronkowski against the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images "That's the expectation," Gronkowski continued. "They got the quarterback, they got the coach, they got the ownership, they got the foundation now. And you're going to see them competing at a high level every single year now, which is great for Patriot fans."to get back to lifting the Lombardi Trophy? Well, Edelman -- the Patriots' most recent inductee into the team's Hall of Fame -- thinks it all revolves aroundr. Surrounding him with weapons and continuing to let him mature will only be beneficial for the 23-year-old. "It's time on task," Edelman said. "You know, time on task with the quarterback. Get him ready with the offensive line, getting that offensive line kind of fixed up and get them working together more. I mean, they're a young group. So, I'm really excited for the Patriots this year," he said." Stocked with 11 draft picks and some key signings on both sides of the ball , the Patriots are posed for another successful season next year. They may not return to the big game next February, but according to Edelman, they'll look a lot better on the field once games begin. "I think they're for real," he said. "They may go out and not have as many wins, but I think they're going to be a better football team this year."ETHAN HURWITZ Ethan Hurwitz is a writer for Patriots on SI. He works to find out-of-the-box stories that change the way you look at sports. He’s covered the behind-the-scenes discussions behind Ivy League football, how a stuffed animal helped a softball team’s playoff chances and tracked down a fan who caught a historic hockey stick. Ethan graduated from Quinnipiac University with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in journalism, and oversaw The Quinnipiac Chronicle’s sports coverage for almost three years.
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