The New England Patriots had to say goodbye to a longtime player while also opening a path for a young player to move elsewhere. And as the offseason continues, here are two players the Patriots must avoid signing in the 2025 NFL free agency period.

Coming off a disastrous 4-13 season, the Patriots have many needs. At the forefront of that issue is getting a better offense line and more playmakers. Both of those things should help young quarterback Drake Maye take off.

The Patriots already doled out $104 million to reel in defensive tackle Milton Williams. They also grabbed linebacker Harold Landry and cornerback Carlton Davis. Those defensive moves highlight the need for offensive help, but the Patriots have to be careful about whom they seek.

Patriots should avoid WR Stefon Diggs

There is nothing but ugly on the Patriots’ depth chart at the wide receiver position. DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins. Yuck, yuck, yuck, and quadruple yuck.

It may scream like a desperate need for a talent like Diggs. However, NFL teams can’t expect Diggs to perform like his old self throughout the 2025 season. He’s coming off a major injury that occurred fairly late in the 2024 season. It could be December before Diggs is fully healthy. And he will be 32 years old by then. That’s well past the prime age for NFL wide receivers.

There are things not to like about Diggs, according to espn.com.

“An ACL injury limited Diggs to eight games last season,” Matt Bowen wrote. “His play speed is also starting to slip. But Diggs is a quality route runner who, once healthy and cleared to play next season, can create separation and produce after the catch.”

Another thing that weighs in Diggs’ favor as a good free agent signing is his locker room presence. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is still a fan of Diggs, according to a team transcript via nfl.com.

“Man, y’all know me, that’s my boy, I would love to have Stef back,” Stroud said. “And man, I think we were just getting started. Like you see he was having so much fun and me and him were starting to build a rapport.

“Like Stef came in with, ‘I just want to win. I don’t care how it looks, I don’t care how many catches I get,’” Stroud said. “He really like meant that too, and you could see in how much joy he had being around the guys, so I would say yeah. Some of those times we’re not necessarily trying to cater to one person or cater to three people or five. The Texans want to win.”

Another positive is a veteran receiver like Diggs would be able to take Maye under his wing and give valuable advice about how to get the ball in the right places and help receivers excel. Unfortunately for Diggs, what Maye needs more than anything is playmakers. And it’s unclear that Diggs can be the consistent playmaker at the NFL level at this point in his career.

One thing that hurts Diggs is the Patriots’ approach to free agency, seeking players that have prior experience with Mike Vrabel and his staff, according to nesn.com.

“I don’t know how you could do free agency any differently,” Vrabel said. “It’s important to (Patriots owner Robert Kraft trusted executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf) and myself to bring the right people onto this football team. If we have coaches that trust and believe in players, we have to take that into consideration. I think that’s critical.

“We have to evaluate the tape, then it’s about the person. I’ve seen from these players that they aren’t going to go anywhere. And the other ones we bring in and the others that are in the locker room right now. They’re resilient and they’re not going to back down. It really helps when you know somebody, or you’ve coached them, or a trusted personnel member has been with that player. It’s important.”

G Teven Jenkins should not be in the mix

The Patriots have a lot of needs on the offensive line, but Jenkins isn’t an answer to fill one of them. For one thing, he has struggled to get on the field, according to espn.com.

“Jenkins has played in only 38 of a possible 68 career games,” Matt Bowen wrote. “Drafted as a tackle, Jenkins has the tools to drive defenders off the ball in the run game. But he tends to be more segmented as a mover in pass protection.”

Yes, the Patriots want to run the football. But it’s of the utmost importance to protect the quarterback. And that’s not Jenkins’ strong suit.

The Bears didn’t like Jenkins as part of their plans to protect young quarterback Caleb Williams. General manager Ryan Poles said the team knows where to go in free agency, according to a post on X by Adam Jahns.

“I think we can be aggressive in the way that we approach this offseason and get players in here that can help us take it to the next level,” Poles said.

And one of those players won’t be Jenkins. It might be good for Jenkins to find a home with a run-first team. Maybe the Ravens or another team with a run-committed approach. He simply doesn’t fit with the Patriots.