The New England Patriots made the Super Bowl last season, but have some key players hitting free agency next month.
K'Lavon Chaisson, Khyiris Tonga, Vederian Lowe, Jaylinn Hawkins, Austin Hooper and Jack Gibbens are all free agents, and losing a few of them could be a major blow to the Patriots. However, those players have set themselves up to draw interest from teams on the open market. Mike Vrabel spoke on wanting them back.
"Would love to have them all back, but we know that that's not always the case in the National Football League, so we'll see where those conversations go," Vrabel told reporters on Wednesday, per The Boston Herald's Doug Kyed.
The legal tampering period opens on March 9, and teams will be able to talk to external free agents. Players can start signing on March 11. While Vrabel would like all of his guys back, some are clearly more important than others.
Chaisson had 7.5 sacks in the regular seaosn and it was the best year of his career. He added three sacks and four tackles for a loss in the playoffs. He was a key part of the Patriots' pass rush and has noted that he wants to be back.
Hawkins was a breakout star for the Patriots' defense. He was thrust into a starting role this year and ended up starting 15 games. He led the team in interceptions and had 71 tackles.
Tonga ended up becoming an interesting player for the team. He played a role on offense, defense and special teams. The Patriots would bring him in as a fullback on certain packages to help block in the run game.
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