Patriots' Super Bowl appearance was no fluke, team legends say: 'They're for real'

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The New England Patriots were supposed to be "mid," Rob Gronkowski told Fox News Digital, but instead, they looked like the Pats of yesteryear.

New England stunned the football world with a 14-3 record and going all the way to the Super Bowl, led by second-year quarterback Drake Maye.

Sure, New England may have benefited from an easy schedule in the regular season, and, in the playoffs, they faced Jarrett Stidham instead of Bo Nix. And the Super Bowl was not pretty. They took a beating from the Seattle Seahawks.

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New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman raises his hands in celebration with tight end Rob Gronkowski after throwing a touchdown pass to wide receiver Danny Amendola during the third quarter of an NFL divisional playoff football game at Gillette Stadium Jan. 10, 2015. (Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)

But Gronkowski and one of his former teammates do not believe the 2025 Pats were a fluke.

"What the New England Patriots did this season was incredible. And they're just going to keep on building on that from here on and, going into next year, I'm sure they're going to be making the playoffs on a consistent basis now," Gronk told Fox News Digital. 

"That's the expectation. They got the quarterback, they got the coach, they got the ownership, they got the foundation now. And you're going to see them competing at a high level every single year now, which is great for Patriot fans."

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye warms up before the AFC championship against the Denver Broncos Jan. 25, 2026, in Denver.  (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

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