Follow every signing and trade with The Athletic’s live coverage of 2025 NFL free agency
For the second time in as many years, the New England Patriots enter free agency with more cap space than anyone in the NFL and a roster badly in need of a talent boost.
A year ago, though, the Pats mostly re-signed their own players — then fell flat in a second straight 4-13 campaign. Now, will new coach Mike Vrabel make good use of the team’s more than $127 million in cap space?
New England’s needs are plentiful. Their offensive line was the worst in the league last season. So was their group of wide receivers. Their defensive line was a major reason they ranked last in sacks. So those are the three positions to look to first, even if other areas (cornerback, tight end, linebacker, etc.) could use help too. Then there’s the trade market, where the Patriots have been active in checking in on the status of big-name players like DK Metcalf, who was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, and Brandon Aiyuk.
We’ll use this page to track free agency from the Patriots’ perspective, a way to look at the moves they make (and don’t make) and provide updates as their top free-agent targets make their decisions. Bookmark this page and keep coming back to stay up to date on everything that happens with the Patriots in free agency.
• Live free agency updates: Tracking trades, contracts, deals and rumors
• Our updated list of the top 150 free agents
• Top free agents at every position
March 10
12:22 p.m. ET: Another Patriots target is headed elsewhere.
As Vrabel and company look to bolster the roster through the trenches, they expressed interest in Drew Dalman, the top center on the market. But Dalman is headed to the Chicago Bears as the latest part of their reworked offensive line under first-year coach Ben Johnson.
The Pats, meanwhile, continue to search for answers. The fact that they were interested in the top center available tells you they’re not positive that David Andrews will be the starter come Week 1.
12:15 p.m. ET: The first big blow to the Patriots arrived a few minutes after the negotiating window opened when Chris Godwin, the top wide receiver on the market, agreed to a $22 million per year contract to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Patriots entered this offseason with the worst group of wide receivers in the NFL. Now an already weak crop of free-agent receivers is without Godwin, Tee Higgins and DK Metcalf, who went to the Steelers in a trade on Sunday.
So what do the Patriots do? This is a weak draft class for receivers, too, and there aren’t many great options left in free agency. So the Pats might have to be content with getting only minor improvements for Drake Maye.
Noon ET: It’s go time.
Teams are now allowed to negotiate contracts with pending free agents. Remember, deals can’t be signed until 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, so nothing is finalized until then, and players can change their minds and back out of verbal agreements before signing. But it’s go time nonetheless.
Expect the first few dominos to be the top free agents at each position.
For the Patriots, that likely means early talks with wide receiver Chris Godwin, defensive tackle Milton Williams, center Drew Dalman and left tackle Cam Robinson.
11 a.m. ET: Two free agents I expect the Patriots to pursue are edge rusher Za’Darius Smith and cornerback Carlton Davis.
Patriots defensive coordinator Terrell Williams was the Lions’ defensive line coach last season — where both Smith and Davis played. Early signs are that the Patriots will be interested in the two.
10:30 a.m. ET: Here’s the biggest dilemma for the Patriots: Their biggest position of need will not be easily fixed in free agency or the draft.
No spot is more important for them than left tackle. But with Ronnie Stanley re-signing with the Ravens, there’s no obvious answer for the Patriots. The two best free agents have flaws. Cam Robinson is arguably the top free agent at the position, and he allowed the second-most pressures of any offensive lineman in the NFL last season, according to TruMedia. Dan Moore Jr. is the other top left tackle free agent, and while he was fine last season, he had the worst pass-blocking grade in the NFL by Pro Football Focus’ metrics in 2023.
Perhaps then you’d turn to the draft, but the top offensive lineman you’d consider at No. 4 is Will Campbell, whose short arm length and wingspan would make him an outlier if he becomes a successful offensive tackle in the NFL. A move inside to guard is certainly possible.
So which of those options do they pick?
9:25 a.m. ET: This weekend, I spoke with three agents who represent free agents-to-be at positions of need for the Patriots. And here’s the unfortunate reality for the Pats, briefly summarizing three similar conversations:
Even with Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye, the Patriots aren’t a popular destination for the players those agents represent. Put most simply, not a lot of guys want to go to a rebuilding team in a cold-weather market with high taxes that plays its games an hour outside the city and annually gets poor grades in the NFLPA survey.
Can the Pats get around that?
All of the agents said yes. It’ll just take a meaningfully bigger contract than another team offers.
9 a.m. ET: Just before the negotiating window opens for free agents, the Patriots found a trade partner for veteran defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, sending him to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a seventh-round pick.
Godchaux didn’t feel like a good fit for Vrabel’s new defensive scheme, so he sought and received permission to look for a trade.
The move wasn’t really about cap savings (the Pats will get around $1.6 million there) but rather a new regime taking over and finding guys that fit what they’re looking for. Still, the trade underscores the Patriots’ massive need on the defensive line.
Defensive tackle Christian Barmore is their highest-paid player (and their only player making more than $20 million per season), but his status for the season is unclear as he recovers from blood clots. Keion White is the only defensive lineman on the roster the Patriots can safely pencil in for next season.
That’s why the Patriots are expected to be active in seeking defensive line help, likely starting by trying to land Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams.
8 a.m. ET: It wasn’t a great weekend for the Patriots. An already weak group of free agents got even less interesting when some of the top free-agent options re-signed with their teams.
Off the board went left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who was expected to be the Patriots’ top target but chose instead to re-sign with the Baltimore Ravens.
Meanwhile, four of the top eight free-agent linebackers, per The Athletic’s free-agent rankings, re-signed with their teams. And the price for pass rushers seemingly went up after new contracts for Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett, both record-setting deals for the position.
With the salary cap increasing more than expected and a weak free agency class about to hit the market, it’s probably going to lead to some inflated contracts that seem like overpays.
Decision time looms for the Patriots. Do they say, “We don’t care that this isn’t a great class. We’ve got money to spend and a bad roster, so let’s go wild trying to improve the team even if a lot of these deals may not age well”? Or do they try to avoid overpaying even if that means another season with a bad roster, while instead trying to build through the draft?
March 9
The night before the free-agency negotiating window opened, the Patriots got a jump on filling two of their biggest needs.
They made their first splash of the Vrabel era by reuniting the head coach with a linebacker who shined under him as a pass rusher but didn’t match that success last season with the Tennessee Titans.
The Pats signed Harold Landry to a three-year, $43.5 million contract with $26 million guaranteed, according to a league source, a move to bolster their pass rush. Landry notched 12 sacks in 2021 and 10.5 in 2023 while playing for Vrabel. He can be a do-it-all linebacker, but his specialty is getting after the passer. Last season, the Patriots ranked last in the NFL in sacks.
The Patriots also re-signed tight end Austin Hooper to a one-year, $5 million deal, which means tight end is no longer such a major position of need. The Pats have Hunter Henry as their top option at the position with Hooper behind him. Both were trusted receivers for Drake Maye a year ago.
This story will be updated.
(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
