10 questions facing the Patriots at the start of the offseason

You’ve got questions. A lot of them, by the tone of our post-Super Bowl Overreaction Monday Q&A. Answered some of them, but wanted to go a bit more in-depth on some of the pressing issues that will be facing the Patriots this offseason. So here we go:



Who will replace Brian Flores? We’ve already kicked around a few names, including Bret Bielema and Greg Schiano. But the guy we’re behind right now is Brendan Daly, who has spent the last four seasons as the defensive line coach. A smart guy who has made his bones in the New England system, when you look at the way the Patriots have groomed their coaches over the years, he’s seems to be the right guy for the job. Even if Daly doesn’t immediately get the title, he could move into the same role occupied by Flores last season and Matt Patricia before him, where he spends a stretch as the defensive signal caller. Bottom line? He’s a guy who is well-respected by the linemen up front, so much so that some are pulling for him to get the DC job.

What’s next for Tom Brady’s contract? Brady is currently going into the final year of his deal, but it would surprise no one if that was changed over the next few months. Robert Kraft said last week he “would be quite surprised if (Brady) didn't continue for quite a while.” And while there’s no official timetable here as far as we know, the quarterback still maintains a desire to play until he’s 45. With Brady turning 42 this summer, would the team be willing to go multiple years, or stay on a year-to-year basis? And how much money could they move around to make that happen?

Will they try and find a successor to Brady in this year’s draft? A lot of this goes hand-in-hand with the previous question. Even though Brady has been under center since 2001, the Patriots have always remained aggressive when it comes to trying to draft and develop quarterbacks. The only question is whether they feel like they have to land the next Garoppolo-type, or if they’re just going to go after a late-round or undrafted developmental arm. What we learned last year is they’re not just going to draft a quarterback high just because they think they have to get someone  — they have to really be in love with them as a prospect if they think he could be The Next One. That will mean taking a hard look at the likes of Mizzou’s Drew Lock, Duke’s Daniel Jones, Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins or North Carolina State’s Ryan Finley, all signal-callers who are expected to go in the upper reaches of this year’s draft. If they don’t like any of them, it’ll be another year of Brady, Brian Hoyer and Danny Etling.