Mike Vrabel and the Patriots enter free agency as a top-flight destination once again.
Mike Vrabel and the Patriots enter free agency as a top-flight destination once again.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
The NFL’s free agency bonanza is here, as teams can start negotiating with available players at noon Eastern on Monday.
The Patriots are poised for another big spend, as New England has just over $43 million in cap space, the 10th most in the league according to Over the Cap.
This year’s outlay likely won’t approach the nearly $200 million in guaranteed money the Patriots shelled out last offseason, but New England should be pretty active in the market as the reigning AFC East champions look to reload for another run.
There are some desirable free agents at the Patriots’ biggest positions of need, including wide receiver (Alec Pierce, Mike Evans) and edge rusher (Trey Hendrickson, Jaelan Phillips).
Teams won’t be able to officially sign players until Wednesday afternoon, but the deals will start rolling in quickly on Monday.
We’ll have live updates on all the deals throughout the week along with analysis and commentary from the Globe staff. Follow along with us.
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Where do the Patriots stand? See our position-by-position rundown
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Quarterback:The Patriots’ future revolves around Drake Maye, and he needs another offseason of investment
Running back:New England could use some depth behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson
Tight end:It may be time to get younger
Offensive line:Can the Patriots take another step forward in 2026?
Wide receiver:How will the Patriots fill the void left by Stefon Diggs?
Defensive tackles:The Patriots couldn’t have asked for more out of Milton Williams. Now they must fill around him.
Edge/linebackers:The Patriots need more help and there are plenty of options
Defensive backs:With Christian Gonzalez back, Patriots excelled in 2025
Special teams:Consistency was missing last season
NFL free agency 2026 live updates
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Who will Patriots target in free agency Monday? — 10:00 a.m.
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By Nicole Yang
Mike Vrabel has acknowledged that No. 1 wide receivers rarely, if ever, hit free agency, instead pointing to the draft as the place to find such players. But the Patriots will still have some options to supplement their receiver corps via free agency.
Alec Pierce, who will turn 26 in May, is the top candidate, given his age, size (6 feet 3 inches, 211 pounds), previous production, and ability to stretch the field. The Colts could have franchise tagged him, but they elected to transition tag quarterback Daniel Jones.
Pierce, drafted out of Cincinnati with the 53rd pick in 2022, is coming off his best statistical season, in which he caught 47 passes on 84 targets for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns. His skill set would be a fit with Drake Maye, as Pierce led the league in average yards per reception (21.3). More than a third of his catches generated a gain of at least 20 yards.
There are questions about whether Pierce can sustain a larger target share, as he typically operated as the third option during his four seasons in Indianapolis. But the potential upside makes him the most compelling choice.
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Amin Touri can be reached at amin.touri@globe.com. Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social. Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com. Follow her on X @nicolecyang.