a quick look at 2026 FA

[patfanken]

After I thought I lost all my "idle thoughts" work, I tried to ease my frustration by checking out the potential FA Market for next off season. Now there will always be a certain significant % that will resign with their present team. Others will get offers from others that will be more tempting. Still others who might rather live somewhere other than Foxboro. So, this is just a mental exercise to discuss and get us to Thursday.


1. Who do we re-sign from our own FA's. There are really only 3 that matter imho. Tonga, Chaisson, and Ellis. Tonga will be 31, which would be a no-no if he hadn't done so well and earned his raise. I'd give him a 2-3 year deal with a solid raise.

Chaisson is a tougher question. He's had a "breakout" year and will likely wind up with 8-12 sacks. I think he has 6.5 now. I think he'd be an asset, but edge rushers come at a premium these days. However, I think he's kind of a one trick pony who needs to be moving on a twist or slant to be consistently effective. He's not powerful enough to just come in on his own and bull rush anyone. I'd love him back, but only if is what everyone would deem to be a "reasonable" contract. At least one of Ponder (who got a sack Sunday) or Swinson need to develop into at least a rotational rusher who can consistently provide pressure on the QB or we will need to draft one very early. Chaisson might be gone and Landry, who has been very consistent against both the pass and run, isn't going to remind anyone of TJ Watt.


2. Who do we sign outside of the team and what positions should we target:

My first target would be Breece Hall - I think we have Stevenson under contract for the '26 season. I think he is a good enough runner, blocker, and receiver to be of value, and his cap # is reasonable. A RB room of Hall, Stevenson, Henderson, and one of Gibson, Jennings, or draft pick would be a strong unit deep and versatile. No need for a "3rd down back, since all 4 can catch and run routes well.

Hall is NOT going to sign with the Jets. Even with all those picks, even IF they hit on a good QB, it's going to be 2-3 years before they will be ready to compete and that's a lifetime to a RB. If winning is important to Hall he isn't going to be in that cesspool in NJ. In NE we have a young team, a great QB, Great coaching staff, great culture, and great owner. Boston and Providence might not be the draws that LA/Miami, or LA are, but they don't suck and not every athlete is drawn to the "club scene" and sees it as an important factor in picking where to play.


3. Beyond Hall, our next FA class should have a starting OLman. Maybe Joe Thuney would like to end his career back where it started for the next 2 years.


4. We saw tonight in impact a good edge guy makes and the Eagles deal with Miami was an instant success. The guy I'm looking for is well under 30 and will sign for 4 years. Bonito would be great, but the year he is having will put him into the Watt/Parsons range which is too rich. Boye Mafi will cost half that, yet be what we want and need. The other option is to make our first rounder an edge guy and hope he works out.


We don't need to find 6 immediate starters in FA and 5 immediate starters in the draft next year. We DO need to improve the quality of our depth and continue to add speed across the board. This year was a good start, but just a start. Just look to the Eagles. They've been to 2 Superbowls, yet are still looking to add talent whenever they can.

 

[BobDigital]

Imo I wouldn't go RB in FA. We have guys, they just need to get healthy. And there will be some interesting players in round 6 like always and we need to use the picks somewhere. I'd say save our powder for our owns guys, but get a premium long term interior OL player.

If they accomplish only those 2 things that won't be a bad free agent period.

 

[Lagaffe_07]

I wouldn’t go after a top RB in FA either. I would sign a veteran guard. They will probably draft one too. I am not sure Onwenu will there next year. His price tag is high.

There is also the trade market. I am convinced that AJ Brown will be a Patriots next year. It makes too much sense.

 

[stelfans]

Few thoughts:
Bonito is already signed.
Gibson has another year so maybe they cut him but i dont see how they are going with Stevenson, Hall and Henderson unless Stevenson is cut. Hall might not ask for too much but he will still get starter money so financially i just dont see it. They also have Larison who i think would be on the roster today if he doesnt get injured so thats another in house option.
This Edge class is not very good so i dont see that being addressed via draft but i still hold up for Swinson. The FA market is not great either unless you go for +30 yo.
I would be interested in Otton, Lindebaum (very unlikely and very costly), Devin Loyid or Dean.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Imo I wouldn't go RB in FA. We have guys, they just need to get healthy. And there will be some interesting players in round 6 like always and we need to use the picks somewhere. I'd say save our powder for our owns guys, but get a premium long term interior OL player.

If they accomplish only those 2 things that won't be a bad free agent period.

Rham is only signed through 2026. If we sign Breese Hall, who is 24, we will be all set for 4 years at RB even though Rham leaves after next year.

We will not get a proven talent like Hall in R6.

The team should not target a "won't be a bad" FA. We should have more ambition than that.

 

[rkarp1]

Rham is only signed through 2026. If we sign Breese Hall, who is 24, we will be all set for 4 years at RB even though Rham leaves after next year.

We will not get a proven talent like Hall in R6.

The team should not target a "won't be a bad" FA. We should have more ambition than that.

Mondre is signed thru 2028. doesn't mean he will be here the entire time (I don't expect that he would), but he did sign a 4 year deal.

Rhamondre Stevenson Contract Details, Salary Cap Charges, Bonus Money, and Contract History | Over The Cap

Rhamondre Stevenson contract and salary cap details, including signing bonus, guaranteed salary, dead money, roster bonuses, and contract history

overthecap.com

 

[signbabybrady]

Next year's free agency might be a little awkward. The way things are going right how do you not give the incumbents a really good shot at retaining their roles? But obviously every year you need to be improving otherwise you go the other way quickly.

Example how do you turn to Bradbury and Moses and tell them that they aren't starters anymore? Are they perfect of course not, are they good enough to just deserve their job unchecked probably not. Throw in the Onwenwu salary though and are we really going to try and turnover 3/5ths of the OL? I think 2 or 3 day two picks might be the way to go on the OL.

The way things are trending right now I'd probably look for a huge splash at edge and/or safety. I think these are 2 spots you could add something big without insulting the incumbent.

Very selectively Maybe a biggish splash to replace one of the incumbents somewhere but gotta trust the guys that get you there and use the draft to build depth in the spots that are a little older.

 

[TinhWoodhead]

“Weaponize the the offense” = protect Maye & give him a #1 wr

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Mondre is signed thru 2028. doesn't mean he will be here the entire time (I don't expect that he would), but he did sign a 4 year deal.

Rhamondre Stevenson Contract Details, Salary Cap Charges, Bonus Money, and Contract History | Over The Cap

Rhamondre Stevenson contract and salary cap details, including signing bonus, guaranteed salary, dead money, roster bonuses, and contract history

overthecap.com

We can get out of the deal with minimal cap hit after 2026. That makes it essentially a deal through 2026.

 

[DC Patriots]

1) Agree with you on FA. Would like to see Tonga back if possible.

2) I’m going to join others in saying pass on Hall. Really like him as a player, but I think we are better off in the run game with the backs we have and spending the money on the OL.

3) Which brings me to your next point. I’m probably in the minority in that I would ideally like to see Owenu back. At a lower price. Which he will or won’t do. Needing to replace multiple OL a year makes things more difficult. Even with Owenu I think the Pats are looking for 2 OL between draft and FA.

4) Not really to your point, but to other commenters. When folks say “get a young, talented guard in a long term contract,” I wonder if a locking a specific name indicates no such person is available

 

[mike_usagisan]

Whether it's the draft or free agency, here are the goals I'd like to see addressed:
1) Continue building depth on the offensive line.
2) EDGE
3) Coverage LB
4) Safety

 

[patsinthesnow]

The most obvious move is to sign the best available LG in free agency & move Wilson to C. Until they do that it won’t matter who they have running the ball up the middle. David Edwards is a FA & would weaken the Bills in the process. Solidifying the OL longterm should be the main priority while Maye is on a rookie deal.

 

[Real fan 02]

After I thought I lost all my "idle thoughts" work, I tried to ease my frustration by checking out the potential FA Market for next off season. Now there will always be a certain significant % that will resign with their present team. Others will get offers from others that will be more tempting. Still others who might rather live somewhere other than Foxboro. So, this is just a mental exercise to discuss and get us to Thursday.

1. Who do we re-sign from our own FA's. There are really only 3 that matter imho. Tonga, Chaisson, and Ellis. Tonga will be 31, which would be a no-no if he hadn't done so well and earned his raise. I'd give him a 2-3 year deal with a solid raise.

Chaisson is a tougher question. He's had a "breakout" year and will likely wind up with 8-12 sacks. I think he has 6.5 now. I think he'd be an asset, but edge rushers come at a premium these days. However, I think he's kind of a one trick pony who needs to be moving on a twist or slant to be consistently effective. He's not powerful enough to just come in on his own and bull rush anyone. I'd love him back, but only if is what everyone would deem to be a "reasonable" contract. At least one of Ponder (who got a sack Sunday) or Swinson need to develop into at least a rotational rusher who can consistently provide pressure on the QB or we will need to draft one very early. Chaisson might be gone and Landry, who has been very consistent against both the pass and run, isn't going to remind anyone of TJ Watt.

2. Who do we sign outside of the team and what positions should we target:

My first target would be Breece Hall - I think we have Stevenson under contract for the '26 season. I think he is a good enough runner, blocker, and receiver to be of value, and his cap # is reasonable. A RB room of Hall, Stevenson, Henderson, and one of Gibson, Jennings, or draft pick would be a strong unit deep and versatile. No need for a "3rd down back, since all 4 can catch and run routes well.

Hall is NOT going to sign with the Jets. Even with all those picks, even IF they hit on a good QB, it's going to be 2-3 years before they will be ready to compete and that's a lifetime to a RB. If winning is important to Hall he isn't going to be in that cesspool in NJ. In NE we have a young team, a great QB, Great coaching staff, great culture, and great owner. Boston and Providence might not be the draws that LA/Miami, or LA are, but they don't suck and not every athlete is drawn to the "club scene" and sees it as an important factor in picking where to play.

3. Beyond Hall, our next FA class should have a starting OLman. Maybe Joe Thuney would like to end his career back where it started for the next 2 years.

4. We saw tonight in impact a good edge guy makes and the Eagles deal with Miami was an instant success. The guy I'm looking for is well under 30 and will sign for 4 years. Bonito would be great, but the year he is having will put him into the Watt/Parsons range which is too rich. Boye Mafi will cost half that, yet be what we want and need. The other option is to make our first rounder an edge guy and hope he works out.

We don't need to find 6 immediate starters in FA and 5 immediate starters in the draft next year. We DO need to improve the quality of our depth and continue to add speed across the board. This year was a good start, but just a start. Just look to the Eagles. They've been to 2 Superbowls, yet are still looking to add talent whenever they can.

Chaisson, Tonga are definitely not brainers.. they are Vrabel guys and part of the culture. I don't necessarily see Chaisson as a "one trick pony per se". He has an array of get offs and provides consistent pressure.. he makes plays in the backfield.

That's what you want from your starting edge rusher.. however edge rusher is absolutely an area to add in FA.

Coverage LB and safety.. are other areas of need.. I'm sure Vrabel was window shopping and checking in but nothing that probably made enough sense probably came to fruition for the trade deadline.

TE would also probably be there as well in FA. We have some good TEs but they are 30 plus in age.

We have 10 draft picks as well.. I can see this draft address OG, edge rusher, safety. In FA we try to address some high end impact players..

 

[KCSVEN]

As usual most free agents will resign with their team
Running Back looks like an area with some depth
Will be a Morgan Moses type or 2, older linemen with a little left. Wyatt Teller maybe?
WR looks bare. Expect Pickens and Pierce to go nowhere
TE: Maybe Kyle Pitts gets there, maybe Njoku.
DE: Jaelan Phillips maybe
LB: Dean likely stays, Lloyd likely stays, maybe Kaden Ellis? Ellis brothers reunite!

Keep our own, add some veteran depth, and hope you hit on the late first round pick.
The depth is very important but won't be a splashy free agency. Outside of maybe unlocking Kyle Pitts and adding a small RB upgrade you won't be able to get Maye any shiny new top weapons, barring an unforeseen trade.

We have guys playing well that we would want to sign:
Hooper, Chaisson, Tonga, Hawkins, Gibbens.
Like to get a younger TE so maybe Hooper goes but the others are all valuable contributors.
Pats can tender Gibbens but not sure what those details would be.
Not daunting to get them all back but those are 4 guys that play a good number of defensive snaps that would need to be replaced otherwise.

Then Gonzalez extension and then eventually Maye.

I think Onwenu stays, it's only 1 year and be hard pressed to replace him and not have a drop off and they won't need his salary savings in 2026.
They could extend him and bring the cap hit down but think they'll let it play out. Type of guy that probably will thrive in a contract year.

 

[Steve102]

Whether it's the draft or free agency, here are the goals I'd like to see addressed:
1) Continue building depth on the offensive line.
2) EDGE
3) Coverage LB
4) Safety

 

[mgdouche]

The improvement of the team and Maye makes the Patriots a desirable destination again. That’s the exciting part of the next free agency. Maybe not in terms of a huge splash (may not be many of those available) but at least multiple splashes to improve the depth and flexibility of the roster. There’s a lot of quality players who’ve endured lousy team or coaching situations who will look at an ascendant, well-coached team in a different light than they would have seen the Patriots just last year. Add another good draft on top of that…

 

[mike_usagisan]

The improvement of the team and Maye makes the Patriots a desirable destination again. That’s the exciting part of the next free agency. Maybe not in terms of a huge splash (may not be many of those available) but at least multiple splashes to improve the depth and flexibility of the roster. There’s a lot of quality players who’ve endured lousy team or coaching situations who will look at an ascendant, well-coached team in a different light than they would have seen the Patriots just last year. Add another good draft on top of that…

Agreed. And with Vrable's, Cowden's, Stretch's, Marrone's, McDaniel's, etc.'s links throughout the NFL, they'll have good intel on how a lot of pending free agents will fit in what they're trying to build. There's potential to really have a major free agency haul again.

Hopefully someone can explain this to me. I was listening to some of the radio guys and they said that it's not necessarily the cap room that will decide how big our next free agency class is, it's the cash spending. I don't want to get into the whole Kraft is cheap thing, but they were saying that most teams, after spending a lot of cash (guaranteed money that is paid up front or put into escrow) one year tend to pull back and don't have the cash available for a second big free agency.

 

[Toofy]

As usual most free agents will resign with their team
Running Back looks like an area with some depth
Will be a Morgan Moses type or 2, older linemen with a little left. Wyatt Teller maybe?
WR looks bare. Expect Pickens and Pierce to go nowhere
TE: Maybe Kyle Pitts gets there, maybe Njoku.
DE: Jaelan Phillips maybe
LB: Dean likely stays, Lloyd likely stays, maybe Kaden Ellis? Ellis brothers reunite!

Keep our own, add some veteran depth, and hope you hit on the late first round pick.
The depth is very important but won't be a splashy free agency. Outside of maybe unlocking Kyle Pitts and adding a small RB upgrade you won't be able to get Maye any shiny new top weapons, barring an unforeseen trade.

We have guys playing well that we would want to sign:
Hooper, Chaisson, Tonga, Hawkins, Gibbens.
Like to get a younger TE so maybe Hooper goes but the others are all valuable contributors.
Pats can tender Gibbens but not sure what those details would be.
Not daunting to get them all back but those are 4 guys that play a good number of defensive snaps that would need to be replaced otherwise.

Then Gonzalez extension and then eventually Maye.

I think Onwenu stays, it's only 1 year and be hard pressed to replace him and not have a drop off and they won't need his salary savings in 2026.
They could extend him and bring the cap hit down but think they'll let it play out. Type of guy that probably will thrive in a contract year.

25 million .. and cap savings of 17 million.

I think they let him walk or restructure his deal. He is not gonna get more than 5 million outside . Restructure his deal to 2 years 30 million 12 million gtd and incentives bonus which can bring it to 17 million in year 1 .

 

[p8ryts]

Next year's free agency might be a little awkward. The way things are going right how do you not give the incumbents a really good shot at retaining their roles? But obviously every year you need to be improving otherwise you go the other way quickly.

Example how do you turn to Bradbury and Moses and tell them that they aren't starters anymore? Are they perfect of course not, are they good enough to just deserve their job unchecked probably not. Throw in the Onwenwu salary though and are we really going to try and turnover 3/5ths of the OL? I think 2 or 3 day two picks might be the way to go on the OL.

The way things are trending right now I'd probably look for a huge splash at edge and/or safety. I think these are 2 spots you could add something big without insulting the incumbent.

Very selectively Maybe a biggish splash to replace one of the incumbents somewhere but gotta trust the guys that get you there and use the draft to build depth in the spots that are a little older.

What do we think of Bryant at OT? Is he good enough to solidify that position. I agree with edge and safety.

 

[TommyD4207]

The most obvious move is to sign the best available LG in free agency & move Wilson to C. Until they do that it won’t matter who they have running the ball up the middle. David Edwards is a FA & would weaken the Bills in the process. Solidifying the OL longterm should be the main priority while Maye is on a rookie deal.

Or draft a kid, but yeah, you're right. I think everyone would agree that the right side from Bradbury out could use a massive upgrade.

That said, it's still a massive upgrade from a year ago, when it was the worst offensive line in football.