Patriots Have Unique Advantage in NFL Free Agency

The New England Patriots have a very odd advantage heading into NFL free agency.

Dec 12, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones (31) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

At this point, it's common knowledge that the New England Patriots are loaded with cap room heading into the NFL offseason. Everyone and their dog knows it at this point.

But the Patriots actually do have another interesting advantage heading into free agency that not a whole lot of other teams can claim: they don't really have to worry about their own free agents.

New England does have 17 players slated to hit the open market next month, but here's the harsh reality of it: hardly any of those players are worth retaining.

In terms of guys that legitimately contribute to the team in a positive manner, you have tight end Austin Hooper, defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale, cornerback Jonathan Jones and defensive end Deatrich Wise. That's really it, and all of those guys are replaceable.

Heck, Hooper is a second-stringer behind Hunter Henry, and the primary reason why Ekuale received so much playing time in 2024 is because Christian Barmore was sidelined due to blood clots.

Honestly, the Pats really don't have to re-sign any of these players, which essentially opens up most of their money to bring in some new pieces—some massive upgrades—in free agency.

While it does speak to just how brutal the Patriots' roster was this past season, it's also actually a pretty cushy situation. It's not like other clubs that have a lot of cap space but also have a significant amount of players that they have to concern themselves with keeping, like the Los Angeles Chargers, for example.

New England can basically head into the offseason with a fresh slate, knowing full well that its 53-man roster is going to look a heck of a lot different than it did at the end of the 2024 campaign.

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