Tony Romo Thinks New England Will Be Back In A Hurry

The New England Patriots took a massive step back in 2020 without Tom Brady leading the way.

While he's preparing to play in another Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bill Belichick and company are coming off a 7-9 season in which they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008. It was also the first time since 2000 the team finished under .500.

That's a steep fall from grace, but former NFL quarterback and current broadcaster Tony Romo doesn't expect that fall to last. In fact, he expects the Patriots to be right back in the mix for the AFC East in 2021.

Right after the end of the AFC Championship Game on Sunday night, Romo was ready to go all in.

"The AFC is going to be loaded,” Romo said, via Patriots Wire. “I’m telling you, New England is going to be back in this thing. I have a feeling Belichick, with that much salary cap, they’ll find a way to come back in this thing."

There were a lot of people who predicted a "Tank for Trevor" campaign from New England this past season. That all but ended with the signing of Cam Newton, but it also left many wondering about the next step for the historic franchise.

With approximately $60 million in cap space and a willingness to move around and get creative in the draft, this is a team capable of getting back into competitive shape. Will I go as far as Romo and say that it'll compete for a division title next season? No, I'm not willing to go that far in January, but we'll see how things go.

New England needs a lot more than just a quarterback to return to glory.

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.