a quick look at 2026 FA

[Huckleberry1]

Just to clarify, they don't have to cut Andrews as he's a FA himself too.

But yeah I can definitely see this. Lots of the actually desirable players will end up re-signing with their teams between now and free agency so have to add that caveat to all talks.

Go look at the list of 26' free agents at Spotrac, it's awful. And the ones worth going after will likely end up resigning with their team. Right now the one I covet the most is Tyler Lindebaum, C Ravens. Apparently contract talks aren't going anywhere, and even though it means keeping Wilson at G Lindebaum would be a big upgrade over Bradbury.

 

[TommyD4207]

No he doesn't have more than that. PFF is excellent at recording thinks like who allows sacks. Their "Ratings" are what leave a lot to be desired. Just because you don't like that doesn't mean it's not fact.

Since you haven't been paying attention, more than half the sacks taken by Maye are actually on MAYE and not the O-line. That comes from people other than PFF.

No, they're actually not. They're actually pretty terrible about it.

 

[TommyD4207]

Go look at the list of 26' free agents at Spotrac, it's awful. And the ones worth going after will likely end up resigning with their team. Right now the one I covet the most is Tyler Lindebaum, C Ravens. Apparently contract talks aren't going anywhere, and even though it means keeping Wilson at G Lindebaum would be a big upgrade over Bradbury.

Lindebaum would be an absolute home run in FA if they could get that done.

 

[imahobgoblin]

And, TE should be a major focus in FA. Ours are old and slow.
If we get a Bowers type TE, with 1 more legit outside WR, and a "thunder" for Hendo's "lightning" this offense will be a top unit.

Bowers is a generational TE. You don't just "get" a guy like him. The suggestion isn't even reasonable. The best available FA TE will be David Njoku or Mark Andrews. Both will be 30. I wouldn't mind Pitts on a reasonable contract, but he has been a major disappointment. the 2026 draft class is not impressive yet.

 

[Real fan 02]

Some quick thoughts about the offseason in general:

Owenu will be cut. He just isn't that good anymore and cutting him saves $17 million against the cap.

I think Diggs will be extended. He has too high of a cap next year. Expect some voidable years.

Moses will be cut. Too old and too expensive to keep another year.

I would try to trade Carlton Davis because cutting him will add to the cap.

The Pats will trade for AJ Brown. His trade value is dropping every week and so his his value to the Eagles. They will want to get him off the books. He just isn't productive in the Eagles' system anymore. I think it could be his friction with Hurts. But they may not be able to trade him until post June 1st because of the cap hit ramifications of trading him before that.

Tonga, Chaisson, and Ellis will be resigned. Some of the other free agents will be resigned, but none are guaranteed.

Some free agents I would consider targeting:

- Tyler Linderbaum - The Ravens aren't going to franchise a center since all o-linemen are franchised at the same level. It all depends on whether they want to move Wilson to center or keep him at guard. I might move him to the right side if they keep him at guard.
- Nakobe Dean - Don't know if the Eagles will let him go, but I am also not sure if they would franchise him coming off an PCL tear.
- Branden Smith - a stud RT, but a little up there in age.
- Kaden Elliss - Better than his brother.
- Breece Hall - If they decide to move on from Stevenson
- David Njoku - former pro bowler. Would be an upgrade over either Hooper or Henry in blocking
- Kyle Pitts - Maybe with Maye he could return to his rookie form where he looked to be on track to be a stud TE
- Cade Otton - We just saw him play really well vs the Pats. He can do everything. Good blocker. Can catch.
- Alontae Taylor - A pretty good CB. Could be a solid #2 in replacement of Carlton Davis.
- Odafe Oweh - Very good LB. I doubt the Chargers let him walk.
- Devin Lloyd - I doubt the Jags will let him go, but they are the Jags.
- Romeo Doubs - Would eventually replace Diggs or Hollins. Not sure if there would be room for him next year especially if the Pats trade for Brown.

This. Rob, this is a very good post. Great information here. "Oh wait a minute... that scary, creepy cap hit.. for AJ oh no!! how will RK be able to eat and put food on his table if Vrabel traded for AJ"... you are spot on!!!

his trade value is continuing to drop.. hell of a player still but it's not working in Philly. He will be playing in a better system and better QB., better coach.

Think we can all agree there will likely be an upgrade at RB.. rham seems to always get hurt and his fumbles are a real concern.

I like the idea of singing pitts. As pure talent it's undeniable. He would become an all pro playing with Drake IMO.

OG is definitely going to be upgraded.. I like the prospect of Bryant to replace Moses.

We should look to sign Cam Taylor-britt at CB he's an upgrade over C. Davis IMO.

Dean is always hurt.. but a good player.

Chaisson, Tonga are absolutely players that will be retained.. they are valued players and part of the culture.

Like to see if Thibiduaux could also be traded for if possible.

 

[Toofy]

They are going to get Brown as a wr this off season.

No thanks . He is cribbing about lack of chances on a super bowl team. Donno how he will do here. We need to spread the ball and not keep feeding browns fragile ego

 

[ScottishPatriot]

We need secondary depth. Reed Blankenship of the Eagles would be a good take at S.

I agree with the OP that one of our biggest needs is experienced edge help. While I don’t mind whether we re-sign Chaisson or not, and I like OP’s recmmendation of Mafi, I would push the boat out for Trey Hendrickson.

This period of the next couple of years, while we still have Drake on his rookie deal, is the time we should be looking to make splashes like this. Did it with the Williams deal last year. Hendrickson would make similar sense this year.

I also feel we need depth across the OL. I wouldn’t mind one or two developmental guys coming in from the draft, but we need experience there too - especially on the inside. Moses also isn’t getting younger, so we need another viable option at tackle.

Doesn’t need to be a big spend like Cam Robinson; there are plenty decent OL guys out there who are UFAs this year and who wouldn’t break the bank.

 

[imahobgoblin]

Whoever the new TE is needs to be able to block and catch. If we're just signing/drafting a big WR, we have Hollins.

I get what you are saying, but reality has to dictate who we sign. If we choose to go with a new TE, we are bound to what the market and draft offer. Njoku and Andrews fit your mold, but you have 31 other teams to contend with. If Kyle Pitts wanted to play with Drake and was willing to take a reasonable salary, you can't just pass on him. Ya, he has been a disappointment so far and cannot block, but he is also just 25 years old and has good potential.

 

[Rob0729]

Since many people addressed me about Owenu, I won't reply to any single thread and just everyone in general. It really doesn't matter if the PFF ratings are right or wrong. He will not be on the roster next year with that contract. Either he will be extended or cut or traded.

There is zero chance that a RG is going to account for nearly 10% of the Patriots 2026 salary cap ($25 million). Even the PFF grade (if you trust their grading system) has him as the 22nd best guard in the league and he is the largest cap hit for the Patriots in 2026.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

Onwenu's $25M is kind of fluff. $7.5M of that is past signing bonus paid that count on the cap whether he's here or not. $17.5M is the relevant go-forward decision number.

I certainly agree he's bad value at that number. But we have a projected $51.2M in cap space and only a short list of players to re-sign (Chaisson, Tonga, Hawkins, maybe Hooper and Gibbens). And then I see plenty of other good avenues to create cap space:

1) Milton Williams is obviously a core piece and they can create up to $13.39M by restructuring salary to signing bonus.

2) Hunter Henry is set to make $8.5M in cash next year as an expiring contract and feels like there's good opportunity to re-do that deal to a new 2-3 year deal that locks him up for most/all of the rest of his career and cuts the number in half.

3) Jennings can/will be cut to save $4M.

4) Tavai can be cut with a post June 1st designation to save $3.4M.

5) Bradbury can be cut to save $4.7M.

6) Gibson can be cut to save $3.5M.

Just for comparison, I think we started last offseason with close to $100M in cap space and we're at $53.2M now. So we're starting with enough cap space to do about what we did last offseason before we even need to cut anyone for more room.

Stevenson is better than Gibson before factoring in Gibson coming off injury and unless it's a post June 1st trade where the other team takes the guaranteed salary, we save more cap space by cutting Gibson than we do cutting Stevenson. Wilson's natural position is center and Onwenu is the best of our interior OL this year so if we do add a guard, I'd cut Bradbury and move Wilson to center before I cut Onwenu.

With Stevenson there may be a "respect" thing where if you sign someone like Hall and plan to play Henderson over him, you let him pursue other opportunities vs. sticking around as your 3rd back. And with Onwenu, even though he's our best interior OL this year it's pretty egregious value and cap space rolls over so I get the inclination to move on.

My first instinct though with the year we're having and the QB on a rookie deal isn't that we should take a team with more cap space than they're going to spend this offseason to start with and start releasing contributors so we can have more unused cap space and a weaker roster.

 

[borisman]

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.

This is not true. Edge is one of the deepest positions in this draft. There is no Myles Garrett but there's talent in the top 100. If the position isn't addressed in the first two rounds I would be VERY surprised. A trade up in for an edge rusher (we have an extra 4th and several 6th, though kind of worthless if you want to use them to move up in the top 3 rounds) or a trade for a veteran is also a possibility.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

A name I haven't seen mentioned that I want to throw out there... IND WR Alec Pierce.

He currently leads the NFL in yards/catch at 20.9 yards with Daniel Jones throwing him the ball. Last year he led the NFL with 22.3 yards/catch too with their garbage QB play (Anthiny Richardson lol). So we're talking about a very proven big play guy here and we know that plays well with Maye. He'll be going into his age 26 season next year, so still young. At 6'3", 211 lbs and a 4.41 40 time from the combine he has a height/weight/speed profile we currently lack.

Diggs is playing so well this year that he's sure to be back, but his contract is set up where I question if he'll still be here in 2027. You could have a core 3 WR set of Pierce/Boutte outside with Diggs in the slot for 2026 and Kyle Williams working his way in as the top backup. Pierce's contract will be big, but have the customary year 1 lower cap hit to balance with Diggs. Boutte you still try to extend but again, year 1 cap hit is lower. Then in 2027 you could anticipate moving on from Diggs to accommodate the cap spikes in Pierce/Boutte deals. Douglas also under contract for 2026 as well and long term could profile really well in the slot once Diggs is gone so depending on contract numbers maybe he can stick around too.

Pierce is kind of a one-trick pony to this point and Boutte's really been somewhat of a "specialist" too, so you'd have to scout to see that you're getting a diverse enough route tree for that to be a good WR duo, but Maye is such a good deep ball thrower that you always want to be able to take advantage of that. So just tossing it out as an idea.

 

[p8ryts]

A name I haven't seen mentioned that I want to throw out there... IND WR Alec Pierce.

He currently leads the NFL in yards/catch at 20.9 yards with Daniel Jones throwing him the ball. Last year he led the NFL with 22.3 yards/catch too with their garbage QB play (Anthiny Richardson lol). So we're talking about a very proven big play guy here and we know that plays well with Maye. He'll be going into his age 26 season next year, so still young. At 6'3", 211 lbs and a 4.41 40 time from the combine he has a height/weight/speed profile we currently lack.

Diggs is playing so well this year that he's sure to be back, but his contract is set up where I question if he'll still be here in 2027. You could have a core 3 WR set of Pierce/Boutte outside with Diggs in the slot for 2026 and Kyle Williams working his way in as the top backup. Pierce's contract will be big, but have the customary year 1 lower cap hit to balance with Diggs. Boutte you still try to extend but again, year 1 cap hit is lower. Then in 2027 you could anticipate moving on from Diggs to accommodate the cap spikes in Pierce/Boutte deals. Douglas also under contract for 2026 as well and long term could profile really well in the slot once Diggs is gone so depending on contract numbers maybe he can stick around too.

Pierce is kind of a one-trick pony to this point and Boutte's really been somewhat of a "specialist" too, so you'd have to scout to see that you're getting a diverse enough route tree for that to be a good WR duo, but Maye is such a good deep ball thrower that you always want to be able to take advantage of that. So just tossing it out as an idea.

I saw Indy for the first time Sunday and was really impressed by Pierce. He is similar to Boutte, tough player.

 

[PatsFan2]

No thanks . He is cribbing about lack of chances on a super bowl team. Donno how he will do here. We need to spread the ball and not keep feeding browns fragile ego

We have some long in the tooth guys who could fall off the WR cliff. S Diggs turns 32 in two weeks. I'm not completely ruling anybody out; and A.J. Brown should have been ours in the First place. That said: S Diggs could be like Davante Adams a guy who can still be effective well in his Thirties. The goal is getting Drake Maye Elite talents like some of those other QB's.

 

[patfanken]

The PFF grading for OLmen is "suspect", but not useless. It is often subjective, and decisions are made without critical info that only the team has about the real responsibilities of each play. However, they ARE useful as "indications" of how a player is doing and probably the best INDICATION we have going for us. I mean, don't WE make the same kind of subjective judgements when WE criticize a player, especially when we are dealing with OL play.

For example, there has been a lot of Owenu and Moses criticisms lately. Yet Bedard has Owenu as his top OLman last game and Moses 2nd, while Campbell, Wilson, and the C were all graded negatively. Now Bedard's grades, are JUST as subjective as anyone's, but he's a knowledgeable football guy, who works at it, and his review is just as good or bad as anyone else's.

I make this point because we seem to casually be discarding what currently important contributors. Owenu has been OK this season. If you have a question about, "is he worth the money he got", you may have a point. Sometimes I wonder if ANY of them are worth the obscene 8 figure money they get. But getting back to the point. Be careful what you wish for.

In MY ideal world, we draft a young LG to replace Brown next year, and be good enough in his 2nd year to move Wilson back to C. In that same world, Bryant beats out Moses who comes back as the swing tackle for his last season.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

I saw Indy for the first time Sunday and was really impressed by Pierce. He is similar to Boutte, tough player.

Yeah, my thought is that if you had Boutte/Pierce outside with the success that each of them have had and Maye throwing them the ball, the middle and underneath would be absolutely wide open. Lot of people have suggested Breece Hall and that's a guy who's caught 76 passes before and is currently averaging 10 yards/catch. Henderson also has a good projection as a receiving back too if he continues to develop. We'd still have Diggs in the slot. And then Henry is still a rock solid TE who knows how to get open in the middle of the field. If they got Pierce and Hall I feel like you could have incredible synergy with your skill players where it all just works together.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

The PFF grading for OLmen is "suspect", but not useless. It is often subjective, and decisions are made without critical info that only the team has about the real responsibilities of each play. However, they ARE useful as "indications" of how a player is doing and probably the best INDICATION we have going for us. I mean, don't WE make the same kind of subjective judgements when WE criticize a player, especially when we are dealing with OL play.

For example, there has been a lot of Owenu and Moses criticisms lately. Yet Bedard has Owenu as his top OLman last game and Moses 2nd, while Campbell, Wilson, and the C were all graded negatively. Now Bedard's grades, are JUST as subjective as anyone's, but he's a knowledgeable football guy, who works at it, and his review is just as good or bad as anyone else's.

I make this point because we seem to casually be discarding what currently important contributors. Owenu has been OK this season. If you have a question about, "is he worth the money he got", you may have a point. Sometimes I wonder if ANY of them are worth the obscene 8 figure money they get. But getting back to the point. Be careful what you wish for.

In MY ideal world, we draft a young LG to replace Brown next year, and be good enough in his 2nd year to move Wilson back to C. In that same world, Bryant beats out Moses who comes back as the swing tackle for his last season.

It'd be great if Bryant becomes a starting caliber player but that feels like a big reach projection at this point. He made the team as the 4th OT this year which is honestly already kind of a win for where he was drafted. I think more realistic long term succession plan at RT would be eventually they make a heavier investment there (pick or FA) and Bryant is the long term swing tackle, elevating up to that spot for 2026 since Lowe is a free agent.

Also, not sure Moses sticks around as a backup if he does get beat out. Feels like they'd do a "respect the vet" move and release him so he can collect the guaranteed part ($4.5M) of his 2026 salary ($6.5M total) and he can either retire or go start somewhere else. I don't think a guy at that age is going to want his last year to be as a backup and I think the team would do a good gesture by the vet and just let him take his money and go.

 

[DaBruinz]

Go look at the list of 26' free agents at Spotrac, it's awful. And the ones worth going after will likely end up resigning with their team. Right now the one I covet the most is Tyler Lindebaum, C Ravens. Apparently contract talks aren't going anywhere, and even though it means keeping Wilson at G Lindebaum would be a big upgrade over Bradbury.

Lindebaum or Connor McGovern would be upgrades over Bradbury.

The thing working in the Pats favor is that the Ravens are unlikely to TAG Lindebaum since that would be a 27M price tag.

I think they could get McGovern from the Bills for under 10.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

Lindebaum or Connor McGovern would be upgrades over Bradbury.

The thing working in the Pats favor is that the Ravens are unlikely to TAG Lindebaum since that would be a 27M price tag.

I think they could get McGovern from the Bills for under 10.

Pretty confident BAL won't tag Lindebaum. They had the 5th year option on his rookie deal and declined to offer it because the $23M price tag was too much for them to guarantee. And that was coming off 2 pro bowl seasons. Maybe they think he's even more improved this year and/or their view of the rest of the roster/cap sheet has moved some to where they're now willing to do that for a bit extra from what they already declined, but I doubt it.

Part of the issue though is that when you give the player the option of taking a huge 1 year pay day and then going to FA the next year is that it disincentivizes them from signing a "fair" long term deal. It's more beneficial to play out that one year and then go to FA the next year where you'll still get a mega deal, and that one year deal serves as a good level of injury downside protection. So the talk was they declined the option to facilitate a long term deal instead. Hasn't happened yet, but we'll see.

 

[Real fan 02]

Onwenu (10 games):

1 sack
1 hit
14 hurries
97.7 pass block efficiency (12th/49)

Fries (9 games):

1 sack
2 hits
17 hurries
96.9 pass block efficiency (33th/49)

Posters don't like Onwenu but he is an above average guard on a top 10 OL this season. Finding good starting OL is not easy.

MO.. isn't terrible he's a good player.. what posters are really getting at is his contract and his play don't align.. the right side has veterans and while not terrible they have been more of a liability this year than the left side has been.

A Guard we definitely be added in the draft for sure. Personally I believe Bryant is being developed to take the starting rt spot next season.