For a second straight offseason, the New England Patriots are entering free agency with a different head coach in place. After Jerod Mayo ran the show last year, it is now Mike Vrabel’s turn to try to bring the team back to relevance following three straight losing seasons.
The task at hand will not be an easy one, but Vrabel and the Patriots’ front office led by executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf do have plenty of resources at their disposal: besides owning the fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft and four total top-100 selections, they also will have more than $130 million to work with in NFL free agency — the first big item on the offseason calendar.
New England is expected to be quite busy attempting to fill the holes on its roster. Groundwork for that already started leading up to free agency, with the action set to pick up on Monday, March 10: at noon that day, the so-called legal tampering period will open.
Two days after that, on March 12 at 4 p.m. ET, free agency and the 2025 NFL league year will officially begin.
As is the case every year, our Patriots Free Agency Tracker will help you stay atop the flurry of news and rumors surrounding the team and the NFL as a whole. Please make sure to bookmark and regularly re-visit.
CB Alex Austin (ERFA): Profile
QB Jacoby Brissett (UFA): Profile
OL Ben Brown (ERFA): Tendered (1 year, $1.03M) | Analysis
OL Lester Cotton (RFA): Profile
DT Daniel Ekuale (UFA): Profile
LB Christian Elliss (RFA): Profile
RB JaMycal Hasty (UFA): Profile
S Jaylinn Hawkins (UFA): Profile
TE Austin Hooper (UFA): Profile
WR JaQuae Jackson (ERFA): Tendered (1 year, $840K) | Analysis
OT Demontrey Jacobs (ERFA): Tendered (1 year, $960K) | Analysis
CB Jonathan Jones (UFA): Profile (2/5)
DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr. (ERFA): Re-signed (2 years, $2.48 million) | Analysis
K Joey Slye (UFA): Profile (2/6)
DE Deatrich Wise Jr. (UFA): Profile (2/7)
ED Oshane Ximines (UFA): Profile (2/8)
Also originally on the list of free agents was offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor. However, the team released him in early February after he already spent most of the 2024 season on the exempt/left squad list.
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OT Chukwuma Okorafor: Released
LB Sione Takitaki: Released | Analysis
Defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike will be a “name to watch” for New England in free agency. | Story
Eagles defensive lineman Milton Williams will be near the top of the Patriots’ free agency wishlist. | Story
If Ronnie Stanley stays put, Steelers left tackle Dan Moore or Vikings left tackle Cam Robinson will be explored as secondary options. | Story
Ronnie Stanley is the Patriots’ preferred target at the offensive tackle position. | Story
The Patriots have “kicked the tires” on a potential trade for Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf. | Source
The Ravens are confident that they will re-sign left tackle Ronnie Stanley. | Story
Two offensive linemen who were considered potential targets for the Patriots did get the franchise tag: neither Rams tackle Alaric Jackson nor Chiefs guard Trey Smith will make it to the open market. | Story
The Patriots have given defensive tackle Davon Godchaux permission to explore a trade. | Story
The NFL has finalized its 2025 salary cap at $279.2 million, meaning that the Patriots will have over $130 million to work with — the highest such number in the league. | Story
The Patriots are planning to be “aggressive” in free agency, according to head coach Mike Vrabel. | Story
Patriots transaction: Offensive linemen Ben Brown and Demontrey Jacobs have been tendered by the club. Both entered the offseason as exclusive rights free agents. | Story
Patriots transaction: Veteran linebacker Sione Takitaki, a member of the Patriots’ 2024 free agency class, has been released after only one season with the team. | Story
Potential Patriots wide receiver target Tee Higgins will be getting the franchise tag from the Bengals for a second straight year. | Story
Patriots transaction: Wide receiver JaQuae Jackson, an exclusive rights free agent who missed the entire 2024 regular season injured reserve, was tendered by the Patriots. | Story
Patriots transaction: Defensive tackle Jeremiah Pharms Jr., an exclusive rights free agent, has signed a two-year extension to stay with the Patriots. | Story
Patriots transaction: Offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor has been released. A pending free agent who first arrived via a one-year contract last offseason, Okorafor has been on the team’s exempt/left squad list since early September. | Story
