Patriots Avoiding Multiple Stars in Free Agency

The New England Patriots top the league for money to spend this offseason.

After the NFL's recent cap adjustments, the Patriots are sitting with over $125 million free in cap space ahead of the looming free agency period, positioning them to be one of the biggest spenders across the league.

However, the Patriots won't be spending their money on just anybody, and may even have a few names hitting the market they're looking to steer clear of.

According to the Boston Herald's Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed, the Patriots are not expected to have Josh Sweat, Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs, or Khalil Mack on their radar ahead of free agency.

New England should still be anticipated to look far and wide across the free agency market for their hopeful upgrades, but in terms of fit, price, or another issue, the mentioned names won't be slated to come to Foxborough anytime soon.

Cooper and Diggs, while potentially upgrades in the wide receiver room, don't exactly fit the timeline of a rebuilding Patriots offense, and the same goes for Mack on the defensive side of the ball –– who's likely looking for his best chance at a Super Bowl ring at this point in his career.

Each of the mentioned players fills a prominent need for the Patriots despite their lack of interest too. Both wide receiver and edge rusher will be significant areas of focus for New England in the coming weeks, but instead, the front office seems to be turning in other directions to tackle those.

While the Patriots may be passing up on big, former All-Pro level names, it's difficult to see New England continue to not be aggressive during free agency considering their sheer amount of cash to burn. In his first year on the job, Mike Vrabel will be eager to get this show rolling, but they won't be handing a check to just anyone in hopes of improving the roster.

Instead, New England will have a methodical approach, spending the necessary money to upgrade the roster, but only bringing in guys that fall into their scheme, culture, and fit seamlessly with the group they're trying to build.

The Patriots will officially dive into their free agency pitches once the window for negotiations opens league-wide on March 10th at noon ET.

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