The New England Patriots’ season came crashing down in Super Bowl LX, but there is little reason to be disappointed nor is there much time to do so. Not only did the team of first-year head coach Mike
Vrabel exceed expectations, after all, it also will need a quick turnaround considering the shortened nature of its offseason.
Despite starting the offseason five weeks later than last year, the Patriots are in decent shape yet again. They are the owners of 11 draft picks, including three in the top-100, and are again among the most financially flexible teams in football.
According to cap expert Miguel Benzan, the team is currently $41.82 million under a projected salary cap of $303.45 million — top-12 in the NFL as of today. That gives the Patriots some opportunity to fine-tune their roster by adding quality from the outside, possibly locking up one of the most important players on the team long-term, and re-signing their own class of free agents if they so choose.
The latter will likely not put a lot of financial strain on the team either: a lack of star power is the defining feature of a Patriots free agency class that stands at 18 players deep.
Patriots offensive free agents
QB Tommy DeVito (RFA): The Patriots claimed DeVito after he was waived by the Giants in late August, and he spent the entirety of the season as the No. 3 quarterback behind Drake Maye and Joshua Dobbs. Mike Vrabel spoke highly of the 27-year-old and his contributions ahead of the Super Bowl, but considering the projected cost associated with even the lowest restricted free agency tender ($3.5M), it seems unlikely the team will go that route to retain DeVito.
RB Deneric Prince (ERFA): Prince spent two days in mid-August with the Patriots before being waived with an injury designation and reverting to injured reserve for the remainder of the season. Nonetheless, using the exclusive rights tender on him seems like a relatively easy and cost-effective way to bolster the running back depth heading into the offseason. That said, he seems like the least-likely of the three ERFAs to be kept around.
FB Jack Westover (ERFA): Unlike Deneric Prince, fellow exclusive rights free agent Westover feels like a lock to re-sign with the Patriots this offseason. He served as their fullback throughout the season and finished with a 23.3% playing time share on offense as well as 43.4% on special teams. And while he touched the ball just two times all year for 8 total yards, he would at least bring some in-game experience to what is shaping up as a competition with sophomore fullback Brock Lampe.
TE Austin Hooper (UFA): The Patriots and Hooper were in the same position last spring, and he ultimately came back on a one-year, $5 million contract. He finished his second season on the team with 46.3% of offensive snaps as well as a combined 24 catches for 287 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Mostly a blocking tight end, he can be a useful piece of the puzzle but the club will likely not go out of its way to bring him back either. If he is re-signed, it will be on another affordable short-term deal.
OT Thayer Munford Jr. (UFA): After spending time on the practice squad early in the regular season, Munford Jr. returned in November and quickly began making an impact as a jumbo tight end. He ended up playing 95 snaps in that role over nine games, and also provided depth as a backup tackle behind Will Campbell and Morgan Moses. While his lack of Super Bowl snaps raised some questions, he seems like a low-cost re-sign candidate to keep depth stable.
OT Vederian Lowe (UFA): Lowe filled in for Will Campbell during his absence from a torn MCL, and actually did a decent job protecting Drake Maye’s blindside in his four starts. He would not compete for a starting spot, but like Thayer Munford Jr. would be able to provide somewhat established depth at a reasonable cost. The 26-year-old therefore also appears to be a re-sign candidate.
OT Yasir Durant (RFA): As with the aforementioned Tommy DeVito, Durant getting tendered even at the lowest level seems unlikely; the cost is simply too high for a player who missed all of 2025 due to injury and who has played just 188 total offensive snaps in six seasons in the NFL. That does not rule out a return, but it will not come via a restricted free agency tender.
In addition, three players from the Patriots’ final practice squad remain unaccounted for as of Wednesday: RB D’Ernest Johnson, WR Trent Sherfield Sr. and OL Brenden Jaimes were not among the 11 signed to futures contracts since the season ended. Furthermore, RB Craig Reynolds and TE Thomas Odukoya, who finished the year on the practice squad injured reserve, have yet to be re-signed either.
Patriots defensive free agents
DT Khyiris Tonga (UFA): New England’s free agency class may lack real star power, but it does not lack quality. Tonga is a good example; he is a player who filled a valuable, multi-faceted role during his first season as a Patriot. A commanding early-down presence along the interior defensive line as well as a part-time fullback, he should be one of the team’s priority free agents this year. Unless his asking price reaches levels the team is not comfortable with, a return seems to be in the best interest for both parties.
DT Jaquelin Roy (RFA): Roy played some solid football for the Patriots in 2024, but his 2025 campaign never got off the ground; he was placed on injured reserve in August and missed the entire season. The 25-year-old is in the same boat as the team’s other restricted free agents. A tender offer seems unlikely, and would have to be re-signed in a different fashion.
ED Isaiah Iton (ERFA): Unlike the restricted tender, the exclusive one comes with a fraction of the cost. It is why Iton, despite getting placed on injured reserve in training camp, can be expected back. If so, he would only command a salary cap number of $885,000.
ED K’Lavon Chaisson (UFA): Probably the biggest name on the Patriots’ free agency list this year, Chaisson played the best football of his career in his first season in New England. Starting on the edge and playing 20 games with a final snap count share of 64.9%, he notched 10.5 sacks and recovered a pair of fumbles, including one for a touchdown. While still not the most consistent pass rusher or edge setting versus the run, he does enough things well to be a definitive re-sign candidate. The question is how. other teams view him and whether or not he might price himself out of the Patriots’ comfort zone.
LB Jack Gibbens (RFA): “Dr. Gibby” proved his worth to the Patriots on both defense and special teams during the 2025 season, and is a clear frontrunner to be kept around for 2026 and beyond. How that will happen is the bigger question. The restricted free agency tender is one tool New England has available, but it is relatively cost-intensive. More realistically, the team will try to re-sign him to a multi-year deal and possibly use the appropriate RFA tender as the base cost point for an extension.
CB Alex Austin (RFA): Finishing the season as the Patriots’ fifth cornerback, Austin getting an RFA tender offer also seems unlikely. Instead, he might be in a similar situation as Jack Gibbens: a contract extension low on overall cost and no long-term investment could allow him to be brought back and compete for a role on the team in 2026. While his outlook as a starter is not favorable, he could very well end up pushing Charles Woods for the CB4 role on the depth chart.
S Jaylinn Hawkins (UFA): Hawkins signed a one-year, $1.8 million deal last offseason to stay in New England. The investment paid off: he established himself as a starter in training camp and never looked back, ending the season playing 91.3% of defensive snaps and catching four interceptions, tied for the most on the team. At 28 and likely in position for a first true pay-day, he might explore the market to maximize his value but at the end of the day should be in a position to come back to New England under the right circumstances.
Also not yet under contract for 2026 are four players who ended last season on the practice squad (LB Patrick Johnson, CB Miles Battle, S Richie Grant) or practice squad IR (LB Darius Harris). Like the players mentioned above, they too have yet to sign reserve/futures pacts to stay with the Patriots heading into the offseason.
Adding it all up, we can see that the Patriots currently have 61 players signed for 2026. Not including roster exceptions or similar arrangements, NFL teams can carry up to 90 players on their offseason rosters.
Free agency and the new league year are set to begin March 11 at 4 p.m. ET.
