The New England Patriots could be in for a transformative offseason. New England brought in head coach Mike Vrabel to replace Jerod Mayo after one failed season. Now Vrabel will look to put his stamp on his former team. The Patriots have a ton of cap space and hold the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. They could get a lot better in a hurry.
Patriots QB Drake Maye appeared on Up & Adams with Kay Adams on Tuesday. During that appearance, Adams asked Maye if he had done any recruiting during last week’s Pro Bowl Games.
“I definitely think a little bit,” Maye said. “I let them know that the Patriots got some things to make some moves this offseason.”
Maye was originally an alternate in the Pro Bowl. However, when Bills QB Josh Allen opted out of the Pro Bowl, Maye was selected to fill in for him.
Now is the perfect time for Maye to get busy recruiting other players to New England. If they are at all interested in joining him, this offseason is the perfect time to get paid by the Patriots.
The Patriots are projected to have roughly $120 million in cap space to spend this offseason. That is the most among any NFL team, which could make the Patriots the most active team during free agency in March.
Now the only question that remains: which players will the Patriots go after during free agency?
Which players will the Patriots target during NFL free agency to help Drake Maye?
The Patriots should be able to have their pick of the litter during free agency. As long as they spend enough money, they should be able to acquire anyone they want.
New England’s most pressing needs are offensive line, wide receiver, and edge rusher. Thankfully, there are plenty of options at all three spots.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins is considered the top free agent by most analysts. Higgins has been a productive WR2 in Cincinnati but could easily be the WR1 for a receiver-needy team like the Patriots. The expectation among many NFL fans is that he will land in New England if the Bengals do not re-sign him.
At offensive tackle, both Ronnie Stanley and Jedrick Wills could be good choices for the Patriots. Stanley is 30 years old and would be a plug-and-play starter, whereas Wills is only 25 years old and could be a useful player for a long time.
Finally, there’s edge rusher. If the Patriots really want to spend, they should target someone like Josh Sweat. The 27-year-old pass rusher has been consistently good for the Eagles and would fill a huge need right away. Malcolm Koonce could be a nice economy option.
It will be interesting to see who the Patriots target during free agency.
