The dynasty ended when Tom Brady left for Tampa Bay, but the New England Patriots officially turned the page this offseason, moving on from Bill Belichick after nearly a quarter of a century at the helm. It’s unlikely that we’ll ever see another 20+ year reign like that in this era of team sports again, but we’ll table that discussion for another day. For now, Patriots fans want to know how they can watch a competitive team again after an absolutely brutal 2023 experience.
The succession plan set in place years ago was executed flawlessly, with former Patriots linebacker and, more recently, linebackers coach Jerod Mayo taking over as head coach. Despite losing EDGE rusher Matthew Judon and rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez early in the season, the defense was not the problem last season. Former first-round pick Mac Jones appeared to lose confidence in himself, and the team backed up that thought by yo-yo’ing his playing time whenever possible.
Bailey Zappe wasn’t the answer either, but did either have a shot considering the offensive weapons that they had to work with? The New England Patriots need talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball, and they’re well positioned to be aggressive with a war chest of cap space and the third-overall pick in April’s draft.
New England Patriots Effective Salary Cap Space
(how much a team will have to spend after signing at least 51 players and its projected rookie class to its roster.)
$80,009,640 (2nd most in the NFL, per )
New England Patriots Pending Free Agents
| Player | Pos. | Type | Snaps | Age | Current APY | Guarantees |
| Michael Onwenu | RT | UFA | 81.00% | 27 | $874,367 | $202,468 |
| Myles Bryant | CB | UFA | 74.80% | 26 | $2,627,000 | $0 |
| Hunter Henry | TE | UFA | 63.20% | 30 | $12,500,000 | $25,000,000 |
| Anfernee Jennings | EDGE | UFA | 59.50% | 27 | $1,125,982 | $903,180 |
| Trent Brown | RT | UFA | 55.30% | 31 | $6,500,000 | $4,000,000 |
| Ezekiel Elliott | RB | UFA | 51.30% | 29 | $3,000,000 | $1,100,000 |
| Mike Gesicki | TE | UFA | 50.40% | 29 | $4,500,000 | $3,550,000 |
| J.C. Jackson | CB | SFA | 46.00% | 29 | $16,500,000 | $40,000,000 |
| Lawrence Guy | IDL | SFA | 45.80% | 34 | $2,875,000 | $2,075,000 |
| Jalen Mills | CB | Void | 39.50% | 30 | $2,500,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Pharaoh Brown | TE | UFA | 38.00% | 30 | $1,080,000 | $0 |
| Kendrick Bourne | WR | UFA | 35.30% | 29 | $5,000,000 | $5,250,000 |
| Jalen Reagor | WR | UFA | 29.30% | 25 | $1,010,000 | $0 |
| Josh Uche | EDGE | UFA | 29.10% | 26 | $1,347,334 | $2,944,486 |
| Mack Wilson | LB | UFA | 26.80% | 26 | $1,600,000 | $575,000 |
| Alex Austin | CB | ERFA | 18.90% | 23 | $750,000 | $0 |
| Adrian Phillips | S | SFA | 12.10% | 32 | $4,250,000 | $5,870,000 |
| Christian Elliss | LB | ERFA | 10.20% | 25 | $787,500 | $0 |
| Riley Reiff | RT | UFA | 4.30% | 36 | $5,000,000 | $4,150,000 |
Top New England Patriots Offseason Decisions/Positional Needs
Quarterback
Mac Jones needs a change of scenery, and it’s painfully obvious that Bailey Zappe isn’t the long-term answer at quarterback. With the third pick in April’s draft, the New England Patriots are in a prime position to give new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt someone to build around. With the Bears looking increasingly likely to select USC’s Caleb Williams, are the Patriots willing to take whoever the Commanders pass on between North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels? Or are they looking to add a veteran and use their first-round selection on a playmaker, or will new director of personnel Elliott Wolf look to find a team willing to overpay for the pick?
Wide Receiver
When losing Kendrick Borne for the season is a devastating injury for your team, it’s time to look in the mirror and figure out how things went so wrong so quickly. Free agent addition JuJu Smith-Schuster was never the answer, and he struggled to stay healthy. Devante Parker can play a role, but he can’t separate and should never be your primary option.
The New England Patriots used a second-round pick in 2022 on speedster Tyquan Thornton, who dealt with injuries and struggled to get on the field when healthy. Sixth-round rookie DeMario Douglas emerged down the stretch and should play a role moving forward, but not as the team’s top offensive weapon. It’s a loaded draft class at the position, and the New England Patriots have the cap space to add one or two of the top free agents.
Offensive Line
A pillar of the New England Patriots dynasty was the depth along the offensive line. That’s no longer the case, and it’s possible that their top offensive lineman, Mike Onwenu, will leave via free agency after the team chose not to franchise tag him in the pre-free agency window. They can still resign him, and likely should, given his versatility and their current situation, but it’s something to monitor once free agency begins.
The Patriots could also sign one of the veteran tackles, like Tyron Smith (DAL) or Jonah Williams (CIN), but they need to be aggressive in addressing the position. There are a number of top-tier offensive line prospects in this year’s draft class, but it’s a top-heavy class at OL, not a deep one.
Tight End
All three of New England’s snap leaders at tight end, Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki, and Pharaoh Brown, are free agents. Rumors had the Patriots interested in Texans tight end Dalton Schultz, but Houston extended him for three years and $36 million prior to free agency. It’s not a strong free agent or draft class year for tight ends, but the Patriots need to address it, even for the short term, this offseason.
2024 NFL Draft
New England Patriots Draft Picks by Round
It’s rare that the New England Patriots don’t have a ton of Day 2 and Day 3 picks, a hallmark of the Belichick era, but the good news is that they have almost all of their own picks, which helps considering they’ll pick near the top of every round. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and this rebuild won’t happen quickly, but the Patriots need to hit on their early-round selections this season if the rebuild is going to happen under this new leadership group. It’s easier to clear cap space than it is to find difference makers who make it to the open market, so the pressure to hit on top-of-the-round draft picks becomes even greater.
