The New England Patriots are entering a new era. They will not have Bill Belichick as the head coach and are likely going to use the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on a new quarterback. The good news is that New England has the third-most cap space in the league with the new salary cap, so they should be able to give new head coach Jerod Mayo a competent roster if they’re willing to spend money.
The Patriots are expected to rebuild in 2024 and are not considered Super Bowl contenders. New England has the third-worst odds to win Super Bowl 59 at DraftKings Sportsbook installed at +12000, only beating out the Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers. These odds could improve after the draft and free agency, but the Patriots will still have to play the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills twice apiece in the regular season, likely contributing to their current odds.
2024 NFL Free Agency
Patriots free agents
S Kyle Dugger
RT Michael Onwenu
CB Myles Bryant
TE Hunter Henry
EDGE Anfernee Jennings
RT Trent Brown
RB Ezekiel Elliott
TE Mike Gesicki
DT Lawrence Guy
CB Jalen Mills
TE Pharaoh Brown
WR Kendrick Bourne
WR Jalen Reagor
EDGE Josh Uche
LB Mack Wilson
CB Alex Austin
S Adrian Phillips
LB Christian Elliss
RT Riley Reiff
RG James Ferentz
QB Nathan Rourke
RT Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
WR Tre Nixon
LB Terez Hall
S Cody Davis
WR Matt Slater
Dugger played 98% of defensive snaps, and re-signing the 28-year-old safety needs to be a top priority for the offseason. The Patriots are likely going to be in the market for a new quarterback but are going to need to find some tackles to protect him. Onwenu played 81% of offensive snaps, and Brown logged 55.3%.
Henry led the team with six touchdowns but doesn’t really need to be a priority to re-sign. His New England tenure is pretty aptly summed up when he signed his big contract with the team, only for Jonnu Smith also to be signed to a long-term deal, effectively capping the upside of both. Henry could use a fresh start. While bringing Henry back doesn’t need to be a priority, they are going to want to invest in some tight ends. Henry, Gesicki and Brown were the top three on the depth chart, so New England could look to re-sign Gesicki or could go after a playmaker like Dalton Schultz.
Outside of the tight ends and starting safety, there is a lot of depth here. New England needs to address its wide receiver room and while his numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, losing Bourne is big for them.
Franchise tag options
None
New England has plenty of money to play with in free agency. Henry and Dugger are certainly candidates, but if the Patriots want them back, they can just give them new deals and not deal with the franchise tag hit. There’s not really anyone that would make sense to use the tag on. There’s a case for Onwenu and using the tag to give them more time to work on an extension, but it should go unused.