FOXBORO — The Patriots made seven free-agent signings official on Thursday, but the team might not be finished adding.
Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf addressed reporters Thursday after the team introduced fullback Reggie Gilliam, wide receiver Romeo Doubs, tight end Julian Hill, guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones and safeties Kevin Byard and Mike Brown to the media.
Wolf was asked about potential trades, releasing Stefon Diggs, how he views the current roster and more. Here’s everything we learned from the Patriots’ top front-office executive.
Why the Patriots moved on from Diggs
The Patriots officially released Diggs on Wednesday, coinciding with the start of the new league year. Wolf said it came down to “a variety of factors.”
“Looking at financials, ability, a lot of things go into this. And we have nothing but respect for Stefon, who was an absolute warrior for us, as I said to him multiple times after games. Just really appreciate all of his contributions to the team.”
When asked if the team considered tweaking Diggs’ contract, Wolf said, “We talked about a variety of options and ultimately just went in this direction. Excited to move forward with the guys that we signed today.”
Could Patriots bring back Diggs?
Even though Wolf said the Patriots “decided to move forward, and we wish him nothing but the best,” he didn’t rule out a potential return for Diggs.
“I wouldn’t say the door is closed. We’re going to look through any way we possibly can to help improve the team.”
Is an A.J. Brown trade still on the table?
Wolf was asked multiple questions about the possibility of trading for Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown. Wolf can’t actually talk about acquiring a player under contract with another team, so the questions do put him in something of a difficult situation.
He did say, “We’ll explore anything we think can help the team.”
Wolf said the only deadline on a deal like that would be salary-cap related and if the Patriots no longer had enough money to take on a contract like Brown’s.
“We’re always open to trying to improve the team any way we can. If we see something out there that we think can help us out, then we’ll, we’ll look towards it,” Wolf said.
Could Patriots revisit talks for Maxx Crosby?
Wolf said, when asked directly if the Patriots pursued a trade for Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, “We make a lot of exploratory calls, and I’ll just leave it at that.”
The Raiders had agreed to trade Crosby to the Ravens for two first-round picks until the Ravens backed out when Crosby failed a physical.
When asked if the Patriots would be interested in revisiting talks now that Crosby is back with the Raiders, Wolf said, “I’d have to talk to (director of research) Richard Miller about our numbers right now. Again, we’ll look into any player that we think can help us.”
Miller manages the Patriots’ salary cap.
Wolf also said he’d “be surprised if that was true” when asked about the report that Raiders minority owner and former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady wouldn’t trade Crosby to New England.
“I have a really good relationship with John Spytek, the Raiders general manager. We speak about a variety of things, and that’s never been a thing,” Wolf said.
Latest on Christian Gonzalez extension
As part of managing the Patriots’ cap, an eventual extension for cornerback Christian Gonzalez must be factored in. Gonzalez is eligible for a contract extension this offseason for the first time since he entered the NFL in 2023.
“It’s no secret we’d like to keep Christian Gonzalez,” Wolf said. “And I don’t know what the timing of that is, but that’s something that certainly we’re preparing for.”
Are the Patriots done in free agency?
The Patriots have already brought in eight free agents this offseason, including linebacker K.J. Britt, but they might not be done with signings.
Wolf was asked if he anticipates the team continuing to be active in free ageny.
“We’re still looking through everything,” Wolf said. “There’s there’s still some quality players that are available. So if something makes sense for us, or someone comes back to us and says, ‘Hey, my market isn’t what I thought it would be,’ there’s always things that we’ll look at.”
Additional notes
• Wolf said he anticipates Vera-Tucker playing left guard with Jared Wilson moving over to center. Vera-Tucker has played left guard, right guard and right tackle in his NFL career, though most of his time has been spent at right guard, where the Patriots already have Mike Onwenu positioned.
• The Patriots signed Jones but released Anfernee Jennings and didn’t retain K’Lavon Chaisson on the edge. Wolf was asked about the Patriots’ continued need at that position, saying, “Edge is no different from a variety of other positions where we think we need to add something.”
• Wolf said the Patriots’ signings has allowed them to be flexible in the draft to not have to select a player for need, “which is always, at least in my experience, when mistakes have been made. It’s usually when you’re reaching for a position.”
• One remaining area of need that Wolf highlighted in the draft and remained of free agency is at offensive tackle behind Will Campbell and Morgan Moses.
“Depth on the offensive line is something that we’re looking towards,” Wolf said. “We have five solid starters and Ben Brown, but Marcus Bryant is developing. Vederian (Lowe) went elsewhere. So, offensive line is something that we’re always looking towards.”