The 2010 season was the New England Patriots' 41st in the National Football League (NFL) and their 51st overall. The Patriots improved on their 10–6 record from 2009 by finishing with a league-best 14–2 record and clinching the top seed in the AFC, before losing to the New York Jets in the playoffs.
After losing to the Baltimore Ravens at home in the first round of the 2009 playoffs, the Patriots went into the 2010 season without either an offensive or defensive coordinator following the departure of defensive coordinator Dean Pees. An October 6 trade sent All-Pro wide receiver Randy Moss to the Minnesota Vikings, and eventually led to the return of wide receiver Deion Branch from the Seattle Seahawks in a separate deal. After acquiring Branch, the Patriots won 11 of their last 12 games of the season to finish with a 14–2 record and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Quarterback Tom Brady finished the regular season with an NFL-record 335 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, and broke his own 2007 TD to INT ratio record with 9:1 and was named NFL MVP. The Patriots committed an NFL-record low 10 turnovers on the season, setting an NFL record with seven consecutive games without a turnover.
In their Divisional playoff game against the Jets, the Patriots could not recover from a 14–3 halftime deficit, and were held to their lowest scoring total in their last 11 weeks, dropping the contest 28–21 to the underdog Jets.
Statistics site Football Outsiders calculated that the Patriots 2010 offense was not only more efficient, play-for-play, than their record-setting 2007 offense, but was actually the best offense they calculated in their history.Football Outsiders: Final 2010 DVOA Ratings from 1992–2010
This was the last season until 2018 in which the Patriots did not play the Denver Broncos during the regular season.
This was the last time the Patriots went one–and–done in the postseason until 2019, as well as the last time they failed to make the AFC championship game until that same season. It was, however, the first of 9 consecutive seasons through 2018 in which the Patriots always secured a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Offseason Staff changes Four days after the Patriots' playoff loss against the Baltimore Ravens, defensive coordinator Dean Pees announced that he would not seek to renew his contract, which expired at the end of the 2009 season. He was named the Ravens' linebackers coach on January 26. The Patriots did not name a formal replacement for defensive coordinator. The team did, however, add former defensive back and Notre Dame defensive coordinator Corwin Brown as a defensive backs coach, which was later clarified to mean Brown would coach the team's safeties, alongside existing defensive backs coach Josh Boyer. Additionally, tight ends coach Shane Waldron left the team following the season and later joined the coaching staff of the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League. No formal replacement was named.
In the personnel department, pro scout Brian Smith was named assistant director of college scouting.
Departures On the eve of the start of the free agent signing period, the Patriots released tight end Chris Baker, who had signed a five-year deal the year before. The team also lost two unrestricted free agents: defensive end Jarvis Green signed with the Denver Broncos, while tight end Benjamin Watson joined the Cleveland Browns. On April 26, the team released veteran linebacker Adalius Thomas after three seasons with the team. Weeks later, the Patriots released veteran cornerback Shawn Springs after one year with the team.
On September 14, after the Patriots' first game of the season, running back Laurence Maroney was traded to the Denver Broncos along with a sixth-round selection in the 2011 NFL draft in exchange for the Broncos' fourth-round pick in 2011.
In the week leading up to the Patriots' 2010 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, Randy Moss, who was entering the final year of his contract told CBS Sports that he "did not feel wanted" in New England absent a contract extension offer. After the game, Moss told reporters that it would be his final season with the Patriots. The Boston Herald reported weeks later that Moss requested a trade following the game. Two days after the Patriots' Week 4 game against the Miami Dolphins, Moss was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for the Vikings' third-round selection in the 2011 NFL draft. The Patriots also sent a 2012 seventh-round selection to the Vikings as part of the trade.
Arrivals Three days before the deadline for doing so, the Patriots assigned the non-exclusive franchise tag to unrestricted free agent nose tackle Vince Wilfork, while expressing their desire to reach a long-term contract with Wilfork. On March 5, the first day of free agency, the Patriots re-signed Wilfork to a five-year, $40 million contract with $25 million in guaranteed money.
Before the start of free agency, the Patriots signed wide receiver David Patten, who was with the team from 2001 until 2004 but had spent the 2009 season out of football. They also signed unrestricted free agents linebacker Marques Murrell and tight end Alge Crumpler, as well as defensive linemen Damione Lewis and Gerard Warren, and wide receiver Torry Holt, who were all released by their former teams (though Holt would never play for the team as he was sent to IR in August and retired shortly after). The Patriots also signed former Australian rules football player David King as a punter.
The Patriots also re-signed a number of their own unrestricted free agents. Linebacker Tully Banta-Cain was re-signed to a three-year contract, while guard Stephen Neal signed a two-year contract. Cornerback Leigh Bodden, running back Kevin Faulk, and linebacker Derrick Burgess were also re-signed. Restricted free agents Stephen Gostkowski and Pierre Woods were re-signed; Gostkowski was later re-signed to a four-year extension before the season. Restricted free agent running back Chris Taylor was not offered a tender, making him an unrestricted free agent, but he was later re-signed. Exclusive rights free agent linebacker Gary Guyton signed a two-year contract through 2011; while fellow exclusive-rights free agent safety Bret Lockett also re-signed.
Guard Logan Mankins became a restricted free agent under the terms of the NFL-NFLPA collective bargaining agreement, which entered its final, uncapped year; Mankins otherwise would have been an unrestricted free agent in a normal season. The Patriots tendered at the highest possible level for a restricted free agent, $3.26 million, which have required any team signing Mankins in the restricted free agent signing period, which ended on April 15, 2010, to surrender first- and third-round draft selections to the Patriots. On June 15, with Mankins yet to sign his tender, the Patriots were able to lower Mankins' tender amount to 110% of his prior year salary, or $1.54 million. The Patriots did so, and Mankins, who was looking for a long-term contract, reacted by publicly asking for a trade. He did not attend the Patriots' mandatory June minicamp, which he was not required to attend as he was not under contract at the time. Mankins remained unsigned through the team's training camp, preseason, and the start of the regular season. Mankins reported to the Patriots and signed his tender on November 2, in advance of the team's Week 9 game against the Cleveland Browns. He did not have to report until Week 12 in order to be on the roster for the necessary six games to earn his sixth accrued season of free agency credit. The NFL granted the Patriots a two-game roster exemption for Mankins upon his reporting. However, the Patriots activated Mankins on November 6, before using either game of the exemption.
On August 23, the Patriots acquired offensive lineman Quinn Ojinnaka from the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a seventh-round selection in the 2011 NFL draft.
On September 4, the day the team was required to cut down to 53 players, they acquired linebacker Tracy White and a 2012 seventh-round selection from the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2012 sixth-round selection, as well as safety Jarrad Page from the Kansas City Chiefs for an unannounced draft selection.
Nearly a week after a trade sent wide receiver Randy Moss out of New England, the Patriots traded a 2011 fourth-round selection to the Seattle Seahawks for receiver Deion Branch. Branch played for the Patriots from 2002–2005 and was the MVP of the team's Super Bowl XXXIX win.
2010 NFL draft
The Patriots traded their original fifth-round pick (#153 overall) to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in April 2009 in exchange for tight end Alex Smith. In August 2009, the Patriots traded their original third- and fourth-round selections (#85 and No. 119 overall) to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for defensive end Derrick Burgess. The trade was made on the condition that, because the Patriots had already traded their fifth-round selection, the fourth-round selection sent to Oakland would become a fifth-round selection once the Patriots re-acquired one. Later that month, the Patriots traded defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith along with a seventh-round pick (#231) previously acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Denver Broncos in exchange for the Broncos' fifth-round pick (#158 overall), which was sent to Oakland for the Patriots' original fourth-round pick (#119 overall). The Patriots then re-acquired the seventh-round pick that had been sent to Denver in the Le Kevin Smith trade in exchange for offensive lineman Russ Hochstein.
The Patriots traded a conditional seventh-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens for linebacker Prescott Burgess in September 2009. He was waived by the Patriots six days later. Since the trade was conditioned on Burgess being active for a certain number of games, and since Burgess was inactive in the only game for which he was with the Patriots, the Patriots kept the pick.
+ 2010 New England Patriots Draft Day Trades Round Overall Team Received 1 22 to Denver Broncos Received Denver's first-round pick and fourth-round pick (24 and 113 overall) 1 24 to Dallas Cowboys Received Dallas' first-round pick and third-round pick (27 and 90 overall) 4 119 2 44 to Oakland Raiders Received Oakland's second-round pick (42 overall) 6 190 2 47 to Arizona Cardinals Received Arizona's second-round pick and third-round pick (58 and 89 overall) 2 58 to Houston Texans Received Houston's second-round pick and fifth-round pick (62 and 150 overall) 3 89 to Carolina Panthers Received Carolina's 2011 second-round pick 7 229 to Washington Redskins Received Washington's seventh-round pick (208 overall) 7 231
Staff 2010 New England Patriots staff Front office Chairman/CEO – Robert Kraft President – Jonathan Kraft Senior football advisor – Floyd Reese Director of player personnel – Nick Caserio Director of college scouting – Jon Robinson Director of pro personnel – Jason Licht Assistant director of pro personnel – Bob Quinn Assistant director of college scouting – Brian Smith Football research director – Ernie Adams
Head coaches Head coach – Bill Belichick Assistant head coach/offensive line – Dante Scarnecchia
Offensive coaches Quarterbacks – Bill O'Brien Running backs – Ivan Fears Wide receivers – Chad O'Shea Offensive assistant – Brian Ferentz Offensive assistant/special teams – Brian Flores Defensive coaches Defensive line – Pepper Johnson Linebackers – Matt Patricia Defensive backs – Josh Boyer Defensive backs – Corwin Brown Defensive assistant – Patrick Graham
Special teams coaches Special teams – Scott O'Brien
Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Mike Woicik Assistant strength and conditioning – Harold Nash
Opening training camp roster