The New England Patriots are Super Bowl Champions and Tom Brady has won his 6th Super Bowl which tied the Pittsburgh Steelers for most Super Bowl wins. Many are starting to wonder if Brady can with another Super Bowl before he retires to give him the feat or seven Super Bowls which would be more than any other franchise in NFL history. There are many variables that will go into whether or not Brady can go and with another Super Bowl including his health, team around him and other teams in the AFC. This article will break down each of those variables and ultimately make the decision as to whether or not the Patriots win a 7th Super Bowl. Let’s begin by looking at Brady’s health.
Tom Brady’s Health
Tom Brady is already the oldest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl and he will be 42 once the 2019 NFL season starts. Eventually father time will catch up to Brady, but there is no telling when that will occur. Tom Brady has only had one significant injury during his tenure in the NFL which occurred in the 2008 NFL season in which he tore his ACL in the first game of the season a year after appearing in the Super Bowl undefeated before ultimately losing to the Giants. Brady has been able to stay healthy which is remarkable considering how many seasons he has played in the NFL. If he is able to stay healthy and not wear down because of his age he should have another opportunity to make it to another Super Bowl. What about the team around him? Let’s examine that next.
Patriots Team
The biggest question surrounding the Patriots offense this offseason will be the decision of Rob Gronkowski’s future. Last offseason Rob Gronkowski almost retired as he thought about pursuing acting as well as becoming a wrester for the WWE. The Patriots almost traded Gronkowski to the Lions as well. Without Gronkowski the receiving core for the Patriots will be nearly bare as outside of Gronkowski, Julian Eldelman is their only legitimate pass catcher. On offense Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett and Cordarrelle Patterson are all unrestricted free agents which could even further damage the receiving core for the Patriots. On defense the key unrestricted free agents are Danny Shelton, Jason McCourty and Malcom Brown who all see significant time for a slightly above average defense. The Patriots however will have a little over 16.5 million in cap space, so they should be able to resign some of the key free agents as well as improve in some areas which should give them another chance to compete and win a Super Bowl. What about other teams in the AFC? Let’s take a look at that next.
Improving Teams in the AFC
The two biggest obstacles for the Patriots next season in terms of teams will be the Kansas City Chiefs as well as the Indianapolis Colts. The Kansas City Chiefs came close to beating the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game and will still have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL again next season and will likely be the favorites to win the AFC if they are able to improve their defense. The Indianapolis Colts will be another giant obstacle for the Patriots if Andrew Luck can stay healthy because the Colts already have a good all-around team, but they also have 118.6 million dollars in cap space which means whatever weakness they have they can address in free agency. I look for the Colts to be one of the best teams in the AFC next season.
In conclusion, the Patriots will have their work cut out for them next season as they will have to address key free agents and do so on limited cap space as well as overcome two teams that will be even more improved next season that were in the final four in the Chiefs and Colts. In the end though the Patriots still have Tom Brady who still has 2-3 good years left and the best coach of all time in Bill Belichick who will probably coach 2-3 more season. Brady and the Patriots have a 2-3 year window in order to become the first team to seven Super Bowls and I look for them to do it before Brady and Belichick retire.
