2025 NFL Offseason Primer: New England Patriots

New England Patriots

Projected Cap Space: $120 million

Draft Picks: 9

• 1st (No. 4)
• 2nd (No. 38)
• 3rd (No. 69)
• 3rd (No. 77, ATL)
• 4th (No. 105)
• 5th (No. 145)
• 7th (No. 219, TEN)
• 7th (No. 222)
• 7th (No. 240, LAC)

Notable Free Agents: 

Top Three Needs

1 – Offensive Line

The Patriots had one of the least-talented rosters in football last year, so there’s no shortage of holes that need to be filled. But they have to start somewhere and the offensive line is as good of a place as any. There is one player who New England can feel confident building around up front and that’s OL Michael Onwenu, who ideally plugs in at left guard even though he’s capable of filling in at tackle in a pinch. 

Outside of Onwenu, it’s pretty bleak. Veteran C David Andrews missed most of the season and the soon-to-be-33-year-old admitted he’s considering retirement. Former first-round OL Cole Strange also missed most of the year and it’s not clear if he’s a long-term solution either. The Patriots will likely decline his fifth-year option but give him a chance to compete for a starting job at guard or center (depending on what happens with Andrews). There are a few other recent draft picks who could factor into the mix but realistically would be better suited for depth roles at this time. 

Tackle is in worse shape. The Patriots played the majority of last season with Demontrey Jacobs and Vederian Lowe as the bookend tackles. Jacobs was an undrafted free agent who entered the league in 2023 with the Broncos and was claimed off waivers by the Patriots at the end of the preseason. Lowe was a sixth-round pick by the Vikings in 2022 who was traded to the Patriots for a sixth in 2023. It’s possible neither make the active roster in 2025, at least if the Patriots are successfully able to upgrade their tackle room to even league average. 

2 – Wide Receiver

It was tough sledding for the Patriots on offense last year, as not only was the offensive line incapable of consistently run or pass blocking, but the receiving corps was one of the worst in the league. New England double-dipped on second-round WR Ja’Lynn Polk and fourth-round WR Javon Baker but the two combined for just 13 catches. They were outshone by former sixth-rounders Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte, but realistically Douglas and Boutte are better suited to be No. 3 or No. 4 options at this point. 

That leaves the Patriots in an interesting position needing No. 1 and No. 2 receivers, but without clear avenues to finding those players in free agency. New England could and probably should sink more draft picks into the position, but expect the Patriots to also thoroughly explore the trade market in an effort to improve the supporting cast around promising 2024 first-round QB Drake Maye. 

3 – Edge Rusher

The Patriots didn’t expect to be good necessarily in 2024 but they thought the combination of a strong running game and strong defense would keep them respectable, as they were returning most of the personnel from a defensive unit that finished No. 7 in total defense in 2023 despite the 4-13 record. But New England cratered on that side of the ball because the few departures turned out to be impactful ones. Former HC Bill Belichick and his de facto DC Steve Belichick are still capable defensive coaches, and the Patriots also lost multiple starters starting in August when OLB Matt Judon was traded and DT Christian Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots. 

That predictably neutered the Patriots’ front seven. New England finished last in the NFL with just 28 sacks — and nine of those came in one game against the Bears and sack-happy QB Caleb Williams. New England’s pressure rate was near the bottom of the league as well. The offense gets a lot of attention but the Patriots need to do a deep rebuild on defense as well and the trenches should be the first place they look.

The cupboard isn’t completely bare at interior defensive line with Barmore, Keion White and Davon Godchaux. Anfernee Jennings is the only edge rusher of any note on the roster, however, and he’s more suited to a depth role. The Patriots need to completely rebuild this position room and will likely need both free agency and the draft to do it. 

One Big Question

Can Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye get the Patriots back on track?

For as bad as the 2024 season was for the Patriots — costing HC Jerod Mayo his job after spending multiple years in waiting as owner Robert Kraft‘s hand-picked heir to Belichick — it resulted in two potentially massive outcomes for New England. The first was that Maye looked like he could potentially be a quality starting quarterback, showing flashes of high-end playmaking ability despite the miserable supporting cast around him. 

The second is that Mayo’s flop led to the Patriots hiring Vrabel, a former Hall of Fame player with established coaching credentials from his time in Tennessee. Vrabel was the top coaching candidate on the market this offseason, but there was never any real buzz about him going anywhere but New England where he spent the most impactful chunk of his playing career. 

So if you add together a legitimate coach, a promising young quarterback, a full haul of top draft picks with extra selections from trades and the most cap space in the NFL, it’s easy to build a hype case for the Patriots as a breakout team in 2025, possibly even in the mold of the 2024 Washington Commanders. 

Runs like the Commanders just went on don’t happen all that often, and the Patriots still have tons of work to do to rebuild the roster. The expectations for Maye are also in danger of outpacing what his rookie year actually showed. Still, there’s no question things are looking up for the Patriots after a few lean years.