Patriots News 3-09, Free Agency Shopping List
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Good morning. Here is your Patriots news 3-09 and notes for this week. I’m glad that the clocks moved ahead one hour this morning. We’ll get to enjoy more daylight until the fall returns.
Free agency begins on Wednesday, but the legal tampering window starts tomorrow. This year, the NFL Draft will be held in Green Bay from April 24 to 26.
The Patriots have been assessing the roster and free agents and must finalize their strategy for player acquisitions. The “legal tampering” period begins tomorrow. But with the Senior Bowl, Shrine Bowl, and the NFL Combine, with all of those agents and teams in close proximity, I’d bet there were some pre-legal tampering shenanigans going on.
Further below, we’ll look at the Free Agency shopping list, which is more like a wish list for the team that I’d love to see them acquire.
D.K. Metcalf: There have been reports that the Patriots have had discussions with Seattle to trade for the 27-year-old wide receiver.
Daniel Jeremiah was a guest on Pat McAfee’s podcast this past week, and he said, “Everybody in the league thinks DK Metcalf’s going to New England.”
“It just makes too much sense; they have all the money, they have all the space, and they have no weapon. If you go out in the first week and get Drake Maye a left tackle and a No. 1 wide receiver, now we’re cooking.”
The two-time All-Pro will enter the final year of his current contract, which has a $31 million cap hit in 2025. Metcalf has asked to be traded, and the Seahawks are listening to offers. Seattle’s asking price currently is a first-round pick and a fourth-rounder.
That isn’t likely, but if I’m the Patriots, I’d explore that for a 2nd round pick this year and a fourth in 2026. We’ll see, but not for a one-year rental; they’d have to work a deal, extending him first.
Metcalf shot down rumors to New England in January when he said that he didn’t want to live in Foxboro. He caught 66 passes for 992 yards and five touchdowns last season for Seattle. But a new deal with a nice payday could change things.
Chris Godwin: Mike Giardi of BSJ has reported that New England is expected to be the “driver” of the market for wide receiver Chris Godwin, who is hitting free agency next week. He adds that the Pats may be willing to give the Tampa Bay Buccaneers star at least $25 million annually.
Godwin missed 10 games last year with a dislocated ankle, but in the seven games he did play, he caught 50 passes for 576 yards and five touchdowns, so his production is not a question. But his recovery would need to be watched.
Harold Landry: The Patriots may kick the tires on bringing in Landry, who Tennessee released in a cost-cutting move. Landry had two years left on a contract paying him $24 million in 2025 and 2026.
Landry, 28, had 71 tackles, nine sacks and four passes defended in 2024. The former BC Eagle played under Mike Vrabel in Tennessee. He may opt to sign elsewhere if he can latch on to a contender
Patriots 4th & 2 Podcast: Derek and I took the week off to watch the Combine in its entirety. We’ll be back this week to discuss it. Please check us out and listen to us on YouTube, Apple, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Russ Francis/Chuck Fairbanks: The former Patriot tight end and head coach should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn’t is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed how teams used the tight end position. This will be displayed in our Sunday posts until it happens. Casper is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Francis’ numbers stand up well against Casper’s, yet he isn’t even in the team’s HOF.
I have compiled a shopping list (wish list) of players I’d love to see in New England during free agency. I’ve listed them by position and am in no way advocating that they sign all of them. But of the positions listed, the players below would be the guys I’d pursue.
Offensive Tackle:
#1 Ronnie Stanley: ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported that Stanley, who will turn 31 later this month, is the “the apple of their eye” for the Patriots if he hits free agency this offseason. He is the best tackle available in free agency. He’s an excellent left tackle and allowed only three sacks in 2024.
Baltimore is trying to re-sign him, but they also have to re-sign guard Patrick Mekari. The Patriots could offer more cash, for sure. However, the monkey in the wrench is the Kansas City Chiefs. They are looking to retool their offensive line, and the chance to play for a ring could trump more cash from New England.
#1B Cam Robinson: Robinson is a big step down from Stanley, but he’s not bad unless you count the Wild Card game. Actually, Robinson has graded out as the 13th among tackles with a 77 PFF grade since 2021. The Patriots’ tackles last year? They graded out at 50.9, according to PFF. All-Pro? No. Solid and a significant upgrade? Yes.
Defensive Tackles:
#1A Milton Williams: Williams is an ascending 26-year-old tackle who shined in the Super Bowl as part of an Eagles front four that dominated the Chiefs. In that game, he had four tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble.
“I’m hearing the Patriots are big time in on Milton, and I am big time in on Milton,” said BSN’s Greg Bedard on his podcast. “He is a game wrecker, game-changer on the inside. …Jalen Carter is great. Jordan Davis is a good role player. Milton Williams, you could argue, was the best defender on the Eagles defensive line during their postseason run.“
The only pause I would give here is that this draft is chock-full of great players on the front seven. I wouldn’t overpay too much. Of course, if Vrabel and Wolf sign Williams, there’s nothing to stop them from drafting another defensive lineman.
#1B Levi Onwuzurike: If he does come to NE, we’ll have to come up with a good nickname to shorten it up a bit.
The Patriots may target the Lions’ veteran defensive lineman who was coached last season by DC Tyrell Williams. Onwuzurike, 27, started 10 of 16 games for Detroit last season. He’s 6-foot-3, 290 pounds, and finished with 13 quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks.
Just a footnote here… Many people have been stating that Michigan DT Mason Graham is undersized at 6’3, 295. Look at these two DTs, who are the same size. When you play an attacking, penetrating front four, your DTs don’t need that huge size.
Linebackers:
#1 Jamien Sherwood: When you talk about athletic, sideline-to-sideline linebackers who can cover, blow up the run, and more, Sherwood fits the bill. He’d be a really good fit in Vrabel/Williams’ attacking style of defense.
He’s undersized at 6’2, 216, he’s a former safety who moves like one, but hits like a linebacker. He had 158 tackles for the Jets last year.
#2 Dre Greenlaw: Greenlaw tore his Achilles running onto the field against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, and his rehab took until the final two games last year. So, the market for him may be a tad lower.
However, the Patriots are looking for physically violent players and Greenlaw certainly fits that mold. He’s another sideline-to-sideline player, if he’s fully healthy again. But worth the look. Another guy to watch is Robert Spillane of the Raiders.
***Trade Candidate*** Micah Parsons: I saw this from Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston and it made me think….nah, I don’t believe Jerry Jones would part ways with Parsons, but for the #4 pick??? It would be an intriguing scenario for sure.
Getting a guy like Parsons for the #4 pick? I’d do it in a second. Would Dallas go for it? I doubt it, but it is a fun ”what if” scenario. Talk about a guy transforming a defense. Wow.
Cornerbacks:
#1 D.J. Read: Another Jet I’d like to see the Patriots poach off their roster. Read would be a nice fit opposite Christian Gonzalez. Reed, 28, has been the New York Jets No. 2 cornerback opposite Sauce Gardner for the last three seasons. He finished with 11 pass breakups last season and would give the Patriots an experienced cornerback to play next to Gonzalez. That would lock up the corner spots quite well.
#2 Charvarious Ward: Ward is an outstanding corner and would be an excellent fit. However, the only caveat here is that the 28-year-old is coming off some significant hamstring and knee injuries. He finished with seven pass breakups in 12 games.
In 2023, however, he was a Pro Bowler and Second-team All-Pro in San Francisco. He finished with six interceptions and led the NFL with 23 passes defended. He’s more talented than Read, but the injury history from 2024 would entail a closer look at the medicals.
Safety:
Jevon Holland: While I wouldn’t list safety as a significant need for the Patriots, getting a guy like Holland would be a very nice upgrade to the secondary. The team has Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, and Dell Pettus who are more in the box safeties. Marte Mapu is a guy they’ve tried to find a spot for.
Holland is a true free safety and would seamlessly integrate into the defense.
Wide Receivers:
We have already written about Metcalf and Godwin above. With Tee Higgins being franchised, the chances of landing him now appear even smaller.
#3 Amari Cooper: The chances of landing Cooper aren’t clear. Going by his numbers, it would seem he is in decline, but he did have a nagging wrist injury last year. His best days as a #1 are behind him, but if they do pick up a very good WR in FA or the draft, bringing in a guy like Cooper would be a good, solid move.
***Trade*** Brandon Aiyuk: The Patriots tried to get him last year, and it didn’t work out. Aiyuk turned down an offer of $32 million per season because he didn’t believe their quarterback situation was at the level he wanted. Would he feel differently about Drake Maye and Josh McDaniels?
They will, of course, sign some depth guys as well, but just a couple of these players will make a big difference once the draft comes around. Of course, it is not going to be easy, until the Patriots begin to turn things around. And Vrabel has made it clear that the team’s turnaround will begin in the trenches. If they can grab a couple of good linemen in free agency and add pieces in the draft, the turnaround will go much faster. Adding Drake Maye to the mix will speed things up with better protection and a few better weapons. This week is a big one if that turnaround is going to happen sooner rather than later.
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“Well, again, just looking at the staff, extremely proud of the staff that we were able to put together. It’s difficult in the National Football League to be able to get every coach that you may covet or may want to get outside the coordinators that aren’t a coordinator at somewhere else just because of the rules.
“Teams are under contract. Some teams want to keep the coaches that they have. They feel like they’re good coaches. But we were able to put together a great staff, one that we’re really proud of.
“You asked about Josh [McDaniels], and I would say that having had communications with Josh in my role in Cleveland, he wasn’t under contract with a team, so we had numerous conversations, interviewed a handful of great candidates, and in the end felt like Josh was the best fit to lead our offense, just like Terrell [Williams] was the best fit to lead our defense. And Jeremy [Springer] and Tom [Quinn] were returning to lead the special teams unit.”
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel on how the coaching staff came together
(Special thanks to Ian Logue for transcribing all of these pressers.)
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“Talent sets the floor; Character sets the ceiling.” Bill Belichick
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