It's like old times again for the New England Patriots, who are being pursued by everyone else in the AFC East.
It's a position the franchise knows all too well, having a nearly two-decade reign — 17 division titles in 19 years — before Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills won five in a row. A playoff run all the way to the Super Bowl last season behind second-year quarterback Drake Maye has raised expectations for the Patriots and provided the Bills,
New York Jets and Miami Dolphins a clear target.
“We are the team that’s being hunted," Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones said. "And we have to wear that chip on our shoulder every time that we get out there.”
And it's not just about the AFC East for Mike Vrabel's Patriots, who look to be one of the favorites — along with the Bills — to again come out of the conference and get to the Super Bowl.
That was the case for Allen and Buffalo the past six years, but they couldn’t get over the playoff hump. The Bills fired Sean McDermott and promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who's the NFL's youngest head coach at 36 and is immediately charged with a Super Bowl-or-bust task.
“I think the simple thing is we don’t want to hit the wall, we want to run through it,” left tackle Dion Dawkins said. “So the mindset is run through the wall that we know is there instead of hitting it. You know, don’t let the wall hit you. You hit the wall and go through the walls.
"And then the other side, as we know, is that Lombardi Trophy.”
For the Jets and Dolphins, though, a return to respectability is the simple but massive goal in what appears to be a top-heavy AFC East.
“We’re still turning that ship," New York coach Aaron Glenn said. “We’re still turning it, but I like exactly where we are.”
Allen is in his prime at 30 and he’s got a new big-play playmaker after the Bills acquired DJ Moore from Chicago in March. While the offense, which includes defending NFL rushing leader James Cook, expects to be productive as usual, the defense is where the question marks are.
And first-time coordinator Jim Leonhard will try to improve a unit that will have at least five new starters.
“I think that the standard here right now is winning,” safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson said. “Championships and winning. Everybody understand what’s going on. We’re too good of a team to fall short. It’s as simple as that.”
Maye took the next step of his rapid development, finishing second to the Los Angeles Rams' Matthew Stafford in AP NFL MVP voting during a season in which he threw for 4.394 yards with 31 touchdowns and completed 72% of his passes.
He now has star wide receiver A.J. Brown to throw to after an offseason trade with Philadelphia. And the defense, one of the NFL's best all-around units last season, should again be a strength.
“It’s a brand new team," linebacker Robert Spillane said. “And we’re going to have to learn how to cook together as a team, as the 2026 Patriots. Nothing is guaranteed.”
Glenn revamped his coaching staff after a 3-14 first season and is now running the defense with first-time coordinator Brian Duker, while Frank Reich was hired as the offensive coordinator.
The Jets brought in quarterback Geno Smith — a reunion with the team for which he began his career in 2013 — to spark what was a pitiful passing offense a year ago, teaming him with proven playmakers in wide receiver Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall. They also drafted edge rusher David Bailey with the No. 2 overall pick to jumpstart the pass rush.
Many eyes are on the future for the Jets, who are trying to end the NFL's longest active postseason drought at 15 seasons. Glenn probably needs to double his win total to stick around.
“AG has done a great job of laying out the blueprint for this team and where he wants to take us," Smith said. “And it’s our job to bring that into manifestation.”
While the Dolphins insist it's not a rebuilding year, they’re certainly in a full reset after moving on from general manager Chris Grier, coach Mike McDaniel and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Star receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are also gone, along with most of the key pieces that shaped Miami’s roster.
New GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley have begun revamping the roster, which outside of a few veterans, is made up of mostly first- and second-year players. Running back De’Von Achane, linebacker Jordyn Brooks and center Aaron Brewer are foundation pieces after signing contract extensions.
The Dolphins hope former Green Bay backup Malik Willis, along with a group of young receivers, can offer hope for the future.
“Every team has good players, it’s just putting them in position to be successful,” Willis said. "All the guys that have big names at one point didn’t have a big name, and I think that’s how it goes. You've just got to prove it and that’s where we’re at right now.”
Bills, Patriots, Jets, Dolphins
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AP Sports Writers Kyle Hightower, Alanis Thames and John Wawrow contributed.
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