The New England Patriots went 10-7 and ended their season losing to the Bills in the Wildcard Round of the NFL Playoffs. The Patriot's future will largely stem from the development of QB Mac Jones coming off a solid first year where he also made the Pro Bowl. How successful New England will be in the future will be determined by the performance of Mac Jones, however, what will the Patriots do to help their young QB grow? Will the Patriots go after a dynamic WR to improve the passing game? Who will be the Patriots next OC replacing long-time OC Josh McDaniels? Can New England get younger on defense and bring back CB JC Jackson?
New York finished their first season under HC Robert Saleh with a 4-13 record. Expectations for the Jets weren't high going into the season and New York's roster was one of the worse in the NFL. Rookie QB Zach Wilson had a disappointing first season but played better in the final weeks of the regular season. If Wilson is going to succeed in New York, the offensive line should continue to be improved already having two staple pieces on the line with OT Mekhi Becton and OG Alijah Vera-Tucker, improving RG and RT could help the Jets offense improve next season. The New York Jets also need to address the WR position with Keelan Cole and Jamison Crowder being pending Free Agents. The defense for the Jets this past season was an improvement from the previous one, but still has many positions of need such as pass rusher and CB. Lastly, will the New York Jets retain starting Safety Marcus Maye or will they let him depart for Free Agency?
The 49ers were one of the NFL's hottest teams late in the regular season and carried that momentum into the playoffs where they advanced through the Wildcard and Divisional rounds of the playoffs before losing to the Rams. Rookie QB Trey Lance who the 49ers drafted in the first round of last year's draft looks to be the man up at QB for San Francisco next season with the assumption that Jimmy G will be traded, but to what team? Many observers of the NFL will be paying close attention to the off-season moves the San Francisco 49ers make as a lot of spectators and analysts believe that with Lance they have a very good shot at making the Super Bowl next year. 49ers OC Mike McDaniels left for Miami to become their new HC, but DC Demco Ryans remains on the 49ers staff for next season and most likely will be a hot candidate for the next batch of NFL Head coaching vacancies as his defense was a large reason for San Francisco's late-season surge.
