Agreed...but that is also one offseason...we are now going into the fifth offseason post-Brady.
They admittedly did not have much of a plan post Brady (which is clearly on BB).The Cam experiment didn't work, and they gave Mac 3 years and that didn't work either. Most teams don't spend a first on a QB and keep burning high draft picks on other QB (or sign top free agents at the same time). I agree the post Brady plan has been an abject failure, but they swung and missed on a washed-up free agent (which should have been predicable) and didn't hit on their first-round draft pick. Now the Pats know what plenty of other teams have had to go through in finding a capable QB.
I also agree NE needed to be more proactive, but consider:
In 2019, Murray, Jones, and Haskins were already off the board when they picked (and they ended up taking Stidham).
In 2020, Burrow, Tua, Herbert, and Lover were already off the board when they picked.
In 2021, Lawrence, Wilson, Lance, and Fields were already off the board when they picked.
In 2022, Pickett was already off the board when they picked (and they ended up taking Zappe).
In 2023, Young, Stroud, and Richardson were already off the board when they picked.
I'm not giving them a pass for not having done more to find a capable QB, but in those 5 years, here were the other guys drafted:
2019: Drew Lock, Will Grier, Ryan Finley, Easton Stick, Clayton Thorson, Garnder Minshew, Trace McSorley
2020: Jalen Hurts, Jacob Eason, James Morgan, Jake Fromm, Jake Luton, Cole McDonald, Ben DiNucci, Tommy Stevens, Nate Stanley
2021: Kyle Trask, Kellen Mond, Davis Mills, Ian Book, Sam Ehlinger
2022: Desmond Ridder, Malik Willis, Matt Corral, Sam Howell, Chris Oladokun, Skylar Thompson, Brock Purdy
2023: Will Levis, Hendon Hooker, Jake Haener, Stetson Bennett, Aidan O'Connell, Clayton Tune, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Sean Clifford, Jaren Hall, Tanner McKee, Max Duggan
In 5 drafts, NE appears to have missed on Jones, Zappe, and Stidham. How many more QBs should they have drafted? The guys that were available to them that turned into regular starters were Hurts, Purdy, and Howell.
(To be clear, I am not giving them a pass for their churn at OC and the lack of development of the OL and skill position players. Those are different issues.)
Clearly, they have to keep searching for a QB . . . but how they find one is open for debate.