Titans wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine caught a career-high nine touchdown passes in 2024.
Titans wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine caught a career-high nine touchdown passes in 2024.Daniel Kucin Jr./Associated Press
This year, the Patriots aren’t walking back any comments about “burning some cash” in free agency.
New coach Mike Vrabel has stood by his statement from last week that, “We’re going to try to be as aggressive as possible,” practically inviting NFL agents to reach in and grab some of the Patriots’ league-high $129 million of salary-cap space.
The Patriots will be in the mix for some of the top players when free agency starts this coming week (the negotiating window opens Monday at noon, but signings can’t become official until Wednesday at 4 p.m.).
Vrabel said one key to rebuilding the Patriots through free agency is familiarity between the coaches and players.
“If you haven’t been with a player, you don’t always know he’s 100 percent,” Vrabel said. “It’s being smart as we possibly can to get the right players in at the right time.”
Not every signing will have a previous relationship with the Patriots' coaches, but Vrabel has close ties to players from the Titans and Browns. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels knows the Raiders well. Defensive coordinator Terrell Williams came from the Titans and Lions.
Given that context, here are free agents and trade candidates to keep an eye on for the Patriots:
Wide receiver: 49ers Brandon Aiyuk (trade), Texans Stefon Diggs, Titans Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Browns Elijah Moore.
The Patriots need better receivers for Drake Maye. Their first call should go to Philadelphia about trading for A.J. Brown, but the Eagles’ Super Bowl win likely takes that off the table. The Patriots should then check in with the Bengals about trading a fourth-rounder (No. 105) for franchise-tagged receiver Tee Higgins. They should consider trading for DK Metcalf, though the price tag of a high draft pick and a $30 million-plus contract extension is daunting. And the Patriots should make an offer to free agent Davante Adams, though rumors are he wants to be on the West Coast or reunited with Aaron Rodgers.
But Aiyuk, coming back from a torn ACL, might be the most realistic target. The 49ers never seemed to want to give him that big contract last year, and last week at the Combine, general manager John Lynch left the door wide open to trading Aiyuk. The Patriots tried to trade for him last year, and they can easily afford Aiyuk now at $24 million and $26 million the next two seasons. A fifth-round pick similar to the Commanders’ trade for Deebo Samuel could get it done.
As for free agents, Diggs is 31 and coming off a torn ACL, but a motivated Diggs on a one-year, prove-it deal is intriguing. Westbrook-Ikhine, originally signed by Vrabel and the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2020, seems an obvious target. He caught a career-high nine touchdown passes in 2024 with Will Levis and Mason Rudolph as his quarterbacks, and scored the longest TD in the NFL all season (98 yards). Moore, a 2021 second-round pick for the Jets, was a reliable slot receiver for the Browns the last two years, catching 59 and 61 passes and playing in all 34 games.
Stefon Diggs is 31 and coming off a torn ACL but may feel he has something to prove.
Stefon Diggs is 31 and coming off a torn ACL but may feel he has something to prove.Steven Senne/Associated Press
Westbrook-Ikhine and Moore would be decent additions, but executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and Vrabel had better be prepared for a lot of criticism if they don’t add at receiver.
Offensive line: Raiders LT Kolton Miller (trade), Titans G/T Dillon Radunz, Ravens G/T Patrick Mekari.
Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley would solve a big hole, but the Patriots will have plenty of competition from the Ravens, Chiefs, and others. Vikings left tackle Cam Robinson would be a decent stopgap. The Steelers’ Dan Moore has started 69 of a possible 71 games in four years, though fans can’t wait to get rid of him.
One other left tackle to consider is Miller, a 2018 first-round pick who is coming off an inconsistent season and entering the last year of his contract ($12.3 million salary). But McDaniels knows Miller well from coaching him for two years, and Miller is only 29. The rebuilding Raiders may be willing to trade him for a modest draft pick.
Radunz, a second-round pick for Vrabel and the Titans in 2021, has the versatility the Patriots crave, having started 18 games at right guard, four at left guard, seven at right tackle, and one at left tackle. Mekari, 27, has been even more versatile and durable, starting NFL games at all five positions and missing just one game the last three years.
Patrick Mekari has started NFL games at all five positions along the offensive line.
Patrick Mekari has started NFL games at all five positions along the offensive line.Nick Wass/Associated Press
Defensive line: Eagles DT Milton Williams, Lions DT Levi Onwuzurike, Chiefs DT Tershawn Wharton.
It seems clear the Patriots want to upgrade the middle of their defense, particularly with Christian Barmore’s uncertain future. Williams, who was virtually unblockable in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs, will be at the top of the Patriots’ list. But they’ll have a lot of competition, and don’t be surprised if the Patriots turn to Onwuzurike, a 2021 second-round pick who played for Terrell Williams last year in Detroit (Williams was his position coach). Wharton, 26, is coming off a career-high 6½ sacks and 62 percent playing time, and is a good fallback option.
Secondary: Chargers CB Kristian Fulton, Lions CB Carlton Davis, 49ers CB Charvarius Ward, Ravens CB Brandon Stephens, Raiders CB Nate Hobbs, Raiders S Tre’von Moehrig.
Fulton was a 2020 second-round pick for Vrabel and the Titans, and after five years has developed into a dependable corner. Davis is coming off a solid season in Detroit and knows Terrell Williams well. Ward had a tough 2024 season following a family tragedy but is a former Pro Bowl selection who might do well with a change of scenery. Stephens struggled in 2024 but still started 33 of 34 games the last two years and has versatility plus special teams experience. McDaniels previously coached Hobbs, a physical but oft-injured nickel corner, and Moehrig, one of the best safeties in the NFL who would be an upgrade over Kyle Dugger or Jabrill Peppers.
Tre'von Moehrig (7) is one of the best safeties in the NFL.
Tre'von Moehrig (7) is one of the best safeties in the NFL.Chris O'Meara/Associated Press
Other free agents: Browns LB Devin Bush, Rams DE/DT Michael Hoecht, Ravens FB Patrick Ricard.
Bush, the Steelers’ first-round pick in 2019, was a tackling machine in Cleveland last year, with Vrabel getting a front-row seat. Hoecht, a former Brown University star, can play inside or outside on the line and blocked three kicks last year. And the Patriots probably want a fullback now that McDaniels has returned, and who better to acquire than Ricard, a native of Spencer and a five-time Pro Bowl selection who played both fullback and defensive tackle for the Ravens?
Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com.