With NFL free agency week only four days away, and the official start of the new league year coming up at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 12, the New England Patriots have less than a dozen players headed for the open market. A series of transactions reduced the group from originally 17 to 11, giving the Patriots a relatively manageable list to work through.
The original assessment from earlier this offseason still holds true, though: a lack of star power is the defining feature of New England’s 2025 class of free agents. That does not mean there are no players worth keeping around.
Who fall into that category, though? The following list curated by members of the Pats Pulpit staff might give you an idea:
11. OL Lester Cotton
A former rookie free agent, who started his career in Las Vegas and Miami, Cotton arrived in New England as a waiver claim in late November. While he joined the club with a combined 48 regular season and playoff game appearances on his résumé, he ended up playing just 20 snaps between offense and special teams over the three contests he was active for.
Already 29 and a restricted free agent — meaning his right of first refusal tender would be worth $3.263 million — the Patriots letting him hit the market and ultimately going a different direction altogether would not come as a surprise.
10. QB Jacoby Brissett
Consider it a job... done. Jacoby Brissett was signed to a one-year deal last offseason, to serve as a potential bridge starter and mentor for whoever quarterback the team ended up selecting in the NFL Draft. That QB turned out to be Drake Maye, who was inserted into the starting lineup in Week 6 and never looked back.
Maye looks like the future of the franchise, which in turn means that Brissett — who failed to elevate the offense in his own five starts — will be allowed the opportunity to find another team. But even if he doesn’t, a return to New England does not appear to be in either party’s plans.
9. RB JaMycal Hasty
The Patriots’ third running back and a part-time kick returner in 2024, Hasty finished with 30 offensive touches for 128 yards and a touchdown, as well as a 23.8-yard average on 10 kickoff runbacks. His production does not make a strong case for a return, and neither do his age (29 in September) nor the fact at the team hired a new coaching staff on offense.
Josh McDaniels might try to find a role for him, but it seems more likely that the team will want to get both younger and cheaper behind Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson.
8. ED Oshane Ximines
Ximines was a top-four member of the Patriots’ edge rotation early in the summer, and looked poised for a big role especially after the Matthew Judon trade. That never happened, though: he tore his ACL in Week 2 and spent the rest of 2024 on injured reserve.
The Patriots would likely be able to retain him on a low-cost deal, but whether they want to do so is a different story. With a new coaching staff on defense, New England might go in a different direction rather than re-sign a 28-year-old coming off a major knee injury.
7. K Joey Slye
Then-head coach Jerod Mayo claimed that keeping Joey Slye over Chad Ryland at the end of training camp was an easy decision in favor of the veteran. So might be pursuing a new kicker under new head coach Mike Vrabel.
While not all eight of his combined field goal and extra point misses were directly on the 28-year-old, the bottom line remains that the position as a whole has significant room for improvement. That does not mean that Slye won’t be brought back on another one-year pact, but his spot on the team would still not be built on safe ground either.
6. DE Deatrich Wise Jr.
Wise Jr. is a multi-year team captain and well-respected locker room presence, a veteran of eight seasons and 132 games, one of the few holdovers of the franchise’s dynasty days, and a versatile defensive lineman capable of lining both on the inside and on the edge. All of that is true, and speaks for the impressive career the former fourth-round draft pick has had.
What is also true is that he will turn 31 in July and is coming off an overall disappointing season despite being tied for first on the team with 5.0 sacks. Wise Jr.’s snaps decreased to his lowest total since 2019, and he made uncharacteristic errors for a player of his experience and role on the team.
While a change in coaching could very well be a positive for him, his return is far from a given. The Patriots and Wise Jr. going separate ways would still be a significant loss for the defense, especially from a leadership standpoint.
5. S Jaylinn Hawkins
The Patriots signed Hawkins to a one-year deal last offseason, and he played exactly the role the team envisioned him to have. Not only did he serve as a rotational second and third safety capable of playing the deep field, he also was one of New England’s leaders in kicking game snaps.
While he probably shouldn’t be anything more than a third or fourth safety at any given point, the 27-year-old has shown that he can play a role on both defense and special teams. Considering that he likely will come cheap as well, he looks like a realistic candidate to be re-signed to bolster the depth in two phases.
4. LB Christian Elliss
Elliss started out as a special teamer upon joining the Patriots as a waiver claim in December 2023, but he ended up finding himself as a No. 2 off-ball linebacker for most of the 2024 season. Elliss was not always up to the challenge, but both he and the team can feel good about his performance overall: with better depth around him and the opportunity for a more specialized role, he could become a valuable depth piece to have.
Whether that means the Patriots will re-sign him as a restricted free agent remains to be seen. An extension rather than a one-year, $3.263 million tender seems like a possibility.
3. DT Daniel Ekuale
In many respects, Daniel Ekuale is coming off the best season of his career. Playing a career-high in snaps, he had plenty of positive moments as an up-field attacker, showed good quickness and burst despite his workload, and was one of the surest tacklers on the team.
The problem was that Christian Barmore’s bout with blood clots and the rest of the depth chart not rising to the occasion forced him to be used out of his comfort zone; Ekuale is not a two-gap space eater on early downs. Luckily for him, it appears New England’s new defense will not prioritize that either and instead scheme more to his strengths.
Given that, plus the uncertainty surrounding both Barmore and Davon Godchaux — the latter was given permission to seek a trade — re-signing Ekuale even at 31 would make sense.
2. CB Jonathan Jones
The longest-tenured defender on New England’s roster, Jones has been part of the Patriots defense since his arrival as a rookie free agent in 2016. That alone will not keep the 31-year-old around in free agency, but it is important context to consider.
While not the most vocal leader, he is a respected veteran in an overall young cornerback room as well as a player with starter potential at various positions. He could line up on the outside, like he mostly did since 2021, move back to his old position in the slot, or even play some safety if need be.
The new coaching staff might not share the same enthusiasm, but from our perspective Jones is a player the Patriots should try to keep.
1. TE Austin Hooper
The Patriots’ top priority this offseason is surrounding Drake Maye with the best possible supporting cast. Re-signing tight end Austin Hooper should be part of that strategy.
Not only was the 30-year-old a productive complementary piece next to TE1 Hunter Henry, he also showed strong chemistry with Maye and was one of his favorite weapons: he ended up ranked third on the list of Maye’s pass catchers with 32 receptions for 360 yards and 2 touchdowns. The production does not stand out, but the foundation laid was still solid.
Given that, and Hooper’s history with both head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, the pair should have the opportunity to keep building.