The New Year’s arrival means it’s time for new beginnings. With that in mind, here are five New England Patriots who are likely leaving town in 2025.

After a painful last four months, the New England Patriots will finally wrap up the 2024 NFL regular season against the Buffalo Bills in Week 18.

It’s been a horrendous year for the Patriots, who are heading into Sunday’s finale tied with three other teams for an NFL-worst 3-13 record. Whether Jerod Mayo’s team beats or loses to the rival Bills, one thing is certain: a plethora of changes are coming to New England this offseason.

With a good chunk of the roster leaving much to be desired, several players are likely playing their final game in a Patriots jersey this weekend. Trimming the fat is an absolutely necessity if the Pats want to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2021 next season.

Keeping that in mind, here are five Patriots who are likely leaving New England in the New Year.

1. Jacoby Brissett, QB

The Patriots secured their quarterback of the future when they drafted ex-UNC product Drake Maye third overall next year. Although the dual-threat signal-caller possesses the tools to become a legitimate franchise QB, management didn’t view Maye as being NFL-ready, leading to a reunion with veteran gunslinger Jacoby Brissett.

Brissett, 32, was once seen as Tom Brady’s potential successor after the Patriots drafted the former with a 2016 third-round pick. The 6-foot-4 QB left New England one year leader to prove that he had the potential to be a starter, going 18-33 with 11,000 passing yards, 53 touchdowns, and an 84.3 passer rating while playing for four franchises since leaving the Pats.

Unfortunately, Brissett hasn’t shown a similar level of consistency this season.

The West Palm Beach, FL native’s run as the Patriots starter only lasted the first five weeks of the 2024 campaign. Brissett was quickly usurped by Maye after leading the team to a 1-4 record, completing just 58.5% of passes for 696 yards with two TDs to one interception while also fumbling the ball three times on just 12 carries.

His 74.2 passer rating is also, by far, the worst mark in any season where he’s made at least five starts.

Now that Maye — despite his flaws — looks like he can handle the NFL workload, there isn’t a good reason to bring Brissett back in 2025. At the end of the day, the veteran QB just isn’t a good fit for Mayo’s offense and will likely be replaced by another experienced (and more reliable) backup option via free agency.

2. Austin Hooper, TE

Even though they already had Hunter Henry as their No. 1 tight end, the Patriots still signed Austin Hooper to a one-year contract in free agency. With nearly a decade of NFL experience and two Pro Bowl appearances under his belt, New England had its sights set on creating a two-head monster in the TE room.

Even though it’s been far from a career year, Hooper is having one of his best performances this season. The former Stanford product has 41 receptions for 449 yards and three TDs in 16 games so far, serving as one of his best stat lines since he last cracked a Pro Bowl roster in 2019.

In fact, Hooper has been one of the NFL’s best tight ends overall this season. Although he doesn’t lead his position in any particular stat, he ranks fairly high among eligible TEs on Pro Football Focus in terms of overall offense (76.1, 8th), receiving (75.7, 11th), and run blocking (66.1, 8th).

So, why would the Patriots allow him to walk after an incredible season?

Hooper will become a free agent in the offseason and his latest performance will likely garner a ton of attention from TE-hungry teams. Even though Spotrac lists the Patriots as having about $132.2 million to spend, they likely don’t want to overpay for an aging tight end when that money can be used to address more pressing needs.

Besides, on top of Henry, the Pats also have Jaheim Bell under contract next season. If they want the former 2024 seventh-rounder to have a bigger role next season and beyond, moving on from Hooper sooner rather than later is a must.

3. Yannick Ngakoue, DE

After being released by the Baltimore Ravens at the start of November, veteran defender Yannick Ngakoue found himself claimed by the Patriots just one day later.

Ngakoue, 29, seemed like the perfect savior for the Patriots’ pass-rushing problems after amassing 70.5 sacks in eight previous seasons. Even though the ex-Maryland defender’s play has been on the decline in the last few years, the hope was that he could return to the version of himself that tallied 9.5 sacks in 15 games with the Indianapolis Colts just two seasons ago.

Much to the Patriots’ dismay, though, Ngakoue has continued to look like a shell of his former self.

In six games (152 offensive snaps) with the Pats, the 6-foot-2 DE has only registered four solo tackles without a sack. Between his time with the Patriots and Ravens this season, Ngakoue is actually the second-worst exterior defender in terms of pass rush grade (46.7) on Pro Football Focus.

It’ll likely take a career performance from Ngakoue in Week 18 to even open the door to a potential re-signing. He simply isn’t a good fit for New England’s defense, especially as he struggled to attack opposing QBs. Now that he’s turning 30 years old in March, that likely won’t change next season.

4. Ja’Lynn Polk, WR

After drafting Maye, the Patriots’ top priority was to surround him with reliable weapons. It looked like they had found their new franchise QB the perfect threat to play alongside when they selected wideout Ja’Lynn Polk just 34 picks later.

The 22-year-old playmaker displayed a ton of potential in his final year with the Washington Huskies, amassing 1,159 receiving yards and nine TDs on 69 catches. Even if achieving similar results at the NFL level wouldn’t be easy, hopeful New England fans felt optimistic about Polk’s rookie year.

Week 18 is here and it’s safe to say that there’s been more bad than good during Polk’s first taste of NFL action. The rookie playmaker has only caught 12-of-33 targets (36.4%) for 87 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 15 games. His performance has only worsened with each passing week, proven by his only having one catch for seven yards in his last six outings.

Not every rookie has immediate NFL success, but it looks like the Patriots made a big mistake by drafting Polk 37th overall in April. He’s one of the team’s most unreliable targets and generates next-to-zero production whenever the ball’s in his hands. It’s just hard to imagine him making much of an improvement when he hasn’t recorded double-digit yards since Week 5.

If an outside team still believes in Polk’s potential and is willing to pay a fair price for his services, the Patriots might be open to trading the struggling receiver this offseason.

5. Demontrey Jacobs, OT

The Patriots have been one of the worst teams throughout the 2024 season when it comes to both pass and run blocking. Although the majority of the offensive line deserves some blame, second-year tackle Demontrey Jacobs’ lackluster blocking has played a big role in the team’s struggles.

After being cut by the Denver Broncos in August, Jacobs has since gone on to play 14 games (12 starts) with the Patriots this season. The former South Florida OT has struggled to provide both Maye and Brissett with adequate protection allowing a whopping 48 pressures on 529 passing downs.

Unsurprisingly, the 26-year-old blocker’s putrid performance is among the worst when it comes to his peers. Out of the 137 eligible offensive tackles in 2024, Jacobs ranks 120th in pass blocking (41.9), 132nd in run block (43.4), and 133rd for overall offense (38.7).

If the Patriots want Maye to find any success in 2025 and beyond, moving on from Jacobs is a must. Quarterbacks are constantly pressured under his watch and that won’t change next fall unless he comes back looking like a completely different player.

Jacobs’ contract expires at the end of the year, leaving him as an exclusive rights free agent (ERFA). If the Patriots choose not to tender his ERFA rights, he’ll be free to sign with any team he desires.

Based on how the season has unfolded thus far, Jacobs should probably start drafting up a list of his next potential employers.