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Heard someone say this week that this has been one of the more eventful offseasons in recent Patriots’ history. I say it struggles to make the top 10. In my experience, in chronological order, here’s my list of the seven most notable offseasons in Foxborough since 2000.

• 2000: There were other newsworthy events over the course of that offseason, but we’re going to include this one largely because they took You-Know-Who at No. 199. Here’s what Bill Belichick said about his new backup quarterback soon after the pick was made:

“The value board at that point really clearly put [Brady] as the top value. Brady is a guy that has obviously played at a high level of competition in front of a lot of people, and he’s been in a lot of pressure situations. We felt that this year his decision-making was improved from his junior year after he took over for Brian Griese. He cut his interceptions down. He’s a good, tough, competitive, smart quarterback that is a good value and how he does and what he’ll be able to do, we’ll just put him out there with everybody else and let him compete and see what happens.”

• 2007: The additions of Randy Moss and Wes Welker made it an awfully fun March and April, and set the stage for the absolutely remarkable 2007 season. It still blows my mind how little they had to give up for both of them; in exchange for Welker, the Patriots sent their 2007 second- and seventh-round draft picks to Miami. To land Moss, they yielded a fourth-round choice that year. Think about that the next time you hear about A.J. Brown going for a first in return.

• 2010: Underrated. Bill Belichick disinfected the locker room, cutting loose many of the players who turned out to be bad fits while having one of the best drafts of his New England tenure, adding Devin McCourty and Rob Gronkowski, and re-signing franchise foundational stars like Vince Wilfork and Kevin Faulk. The Patriots wouldn’t win another Super Bowl for another few years, but the seeds for the second phase of the dynasty were planted that offseason.

Not sure the guy has ever had a bad day in his life.

• 2013: Where to start? The investigation and arrest of Aaron Hernandez? The signing of Tim Tebow? The departure of Wes Welker in free agency to the Broncos? Swindling the Buccaneers out of LeGarrette Blount for what amounted to a bag of magic beans? Or the drafting of excellent complementary pieces like Jamie Collins, Logan Ryan, and Duron Harmon? From late January until July, it just never stopped.

That glow in the picture? That wasn’t a fancy Instagram effect. That was what it was like having a front-row seat for the Tim Tebow Experience.

• 2014: From March 15th through the 18th that spring, the Patriots signed Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, and Brandon LaFell, and re-signed Julian Edelman. They signed an undrafted rookie free agent Malcolm Butler. And they drafted James White and Jimmy Garoppolo. That’s an offseason haul.

• 2020: The departure of Tom Brady remains one of the biggest offseason moments in recent franchise history, and hung over the team for months. New England struggled to make the adjustment to life after Brady, signing Cam Newton and drafting Kyle Dugger and Mike Onwenu. But it was never dull.

• 2021: The Patriots went hard in free agency that March, adding Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Matthew Judon, and Nelson Agholor. In all, they shelled out more than $150 million in guaranteed money. They also added Mac Jones, Christian Barmore, and Rhamondre Stevenson. It certainly didn’t bring about the turnaround that many were hoping for, but there was a lot to write about that offseason.

• Others receiving votes: You can also make a case for 2016, as we spent a sizable portion of the summer months waiting for the Deflategate legal saga to play out. You can also argue for the 2003 offseason, which included the arrival of Rodney Harrison and Ted Washington and a sneaky good draft class, as well as 2011, which saw an accelerated team-building process because of the end of the lockout. The Patriots traded for Albert Haynesworth and Chad Ochocinco in the same week!

• Two pods this week! One, Hogan and I discussed a bunch of fun stuff, including some of the way-too-early FanDuel odds involving the Patriots for the 2026 season, including total wins, the MVP race, and New England’s odds to emerge victorious in the AFC. Plus, we have thoughts on Stephon Gilmore, the Masters, and more.

• And two, NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks and I talked draft. We started from a New England perspective; specifically, what the Patriots might be doing at No. 31.

We also talked wide receivers.

• Then, we broadened it to include some league wide stuff, including whether or not Fernando Mendoza will be the only quarterback taken in the first round. A fun and educational listen.

• The Patriots are hiring Shane Bowen as a defensive analyst. The former Giants’ defensive coordinator goes back a ways with Mike Vrabel, all the way to their days when they were together as assistants at Ohio State.

• We picked Rob Gronkowski, Logan Mankins, and Adam Vinatieri as the finalists for the Patriots’ Hall of Fame Class. I discussed some of this a couple of weeks ago, but I was proud to nominate Mankins; he was the best offensive lineman I’ve ever seen up close for an extended period of time. At the same time, I think we all aware enough to realize who is probably going to get the call when voting closes later this month.

• Love doing the mailbag; it’s a great way to engage with readers, and also get a story idea or two along the way. (If you haven’t sent me a question yet, what are you waiting for, pal?) Anyway, this week we have questions on Drake Maye, draft possibilities, running back, available free agents, and more.

Took this when the team visited a Boston school in June 2024, before Drake even took a snap in the league. Nice moment.

• We’re going to hear from de facto GM Eliot Wolf on Monday afternoon at Gillette, and I’ll be doing at least one podcast this week.

• Some of you guys know I’m a runner. I ran the Boston Marathon in 2022, and have run a bunch of half marathons at 10Ks. I’m building toward another half next month with Boston’s Run to Remember, which starts in the Seaport and goes along the Charles. Great run. Anyway, I’m back to running along the Charles again. The best time of year. (This was from last Saturday.) If you want to follow me on Strava, I’m here.

Until next time