MORSE: Busy Day One of Patriots Free Agency

The Patriots finished Day one with a bang by agreeing to a contract with OG Alijah Vera-Tucker. That announcement came late, just before Midnight and sent “X” ablaze with comments. It’s a high-risk move that could very well be a homerun. The ceiling is high on this deal IF Vera-Tucker can stay healthy.

The money being thrown around on the 1^st day of Free Agency is like Monopoly money. With the increase of $20M per team to the salary cap, that’s $640M of new money. Add that to what the teams have cleared or retained from the previous season, and there is $1B available for about 250 Free Agents. That’s why the contracts are so ridiculous.

Additions

Dre’Mont Jones EDGE (BAL) 6’3” 281-pounds, 5.12 40. The 29-year-old is an undersized DT who has moved to the Edge. Don’t forget the Ohio State angle to this signing, as Mike Vrabel is locked into the Buckeyes program. PFF said this about Jones: “posted a 64.7 PFF grade in 2025 across stops with Baltimore and Tennessee, while setting career highs in sacks (8) and total pressures (51). Since entering the league in 2019, he has been a steady interior pass rusher, ranking in the 56th percentile in PFF pass-rush grade and the 71st percentile in pass-rush win rate. Jones has also been highly reliable as a tackler, never missing more than three tackles in a season and recording just 18 missed tackles on 200 career tackle attempts.”

Jones is much better at setting the edge than Chaisson. He is 30 pounds bigger than the typical NE EDGE player.

Let’s compare Jones to K’Lavon Chaisson:

	DreMont Jones	K’Lavon Chaisson
PFF Defense Grade	64.7(65)	60.4 (80)
PFF Run Defense Grade	57.8	43.8
Pass Rush Grade	69.6	61.9

2025 Stats: 18 games | 51 tackles, 19 solo, 7 TFL, 8.7% missed tackle rate |8.0 sacks, 28 total pressures (He played an extra game because he never got a bye week after the trade). Doug Kyed posted that Jones had 24 QB Hits. PFF has it a little differently with 8 sacks, 15 QB Hits, and 28 Pressures.

SB Nation had Jones as the #1 Free Agent Defensive Tackle – “Without a doubt the most coveted free agent interior defensive lineman in the class, Dre’Mont Jones had his best season as a pro despite a midseason trade to an entirely new defense in Baltimore. Jones is a terrific interior pass rusher who brings physicality to the run game as well, and this season was his most productive yet. Jones is a bit undersized at 6’3, 281, which may limit his fit in some systems, but he’s a standout player who’s still in the prime of his career.”

Reggie Gilliam FB (BUF) 6’ 244-pounds, 28 YO, 3yrs – $12M $4M AAV. This from Pro Football Focus – “Even as a fullback, Gilliam has been a key part of the Bills’ offense over the last few years. He peaked in 2025 with a 72.4 overall PFF grade, the best of his career. Gilliam was instrumental as a blocker with an 89.5 PFF pass-blocking mark and a 75.1 PFF run-blocking grade. The second-most-valuable full back by PFF Wins Above Replacement over the last two years, Gilliam is helping keep a unique position alive and well.” The Patriots paid a high price for one of the top Fullbacks in the league.

Alijah Vera-Tucker, LG (NYJ). The former 2021 1st round pick (14) of the Jets is very good when healthy. The problem is, he has never really been healthy. He tore a Tricep in 2022, tore an Achilles in 2023, played all of 2024, and tore the Tricep again in camp and missed all of 2025. Vera-Tucker turns 27 in June.

PFF Rank of All Available Free Agents #40 – 3-year deal for $42 million, worth up to $48 million. ($14-16M AAV). That’s not chump change!

PFF Grade 79.2 – This is what PFF wrote about Vera Tucker: “A torn triceps closed the curtains on Vera-Tucker’s 2025 campaign before it began — the third season-ending injury of his young career. He has still established himself as a promising guard, earning three straight season-long 70.0-plus PFF overall grades and allowing the fourth-lowest pressure rate (2.8%) among guards in 2024. PFF – 10th highest-graded guard in 2024 (77.7) “

NFL Insider Ian Rapoport posted this on X – “The #Patriots are banking on the upside, which is considerable. When healthy, Vera-Tucker has been Pro Bowl caliber.”

Jack Westover TE RFA Tender – This will retain his rights. I think Westover has just been occupying a roster spot. With the signing of Gilliam, Westover most likely won’t make the 53-man roster.

Note: It’s not a coincidence that the Patriots signed an edge player with flexibility to play inside at DT, and they signed a Fullback early. They knew they were not in the ballpark with Khyiris Tonga after a meeting at the Combine and needed sign two players to fill his position flexibility.

That’s $32M AAV in new spending. Patscap Miguel Benzan reports the Pats had $56.189M available under the cap after the DreMont Jones signing. Subtract another $22M for Vera-Tucker and Gilliam, that leaves $ 34M left. Will Robert Kraft allow Mike Vrabel to spend to the cap? We still have WR1, Free Safety and TE2 to fill! Could we see some restructuring of contracts to get that number up? There is also the Signing Bonus portion of Christian Gozalez contract extension (pro-rated across the length of the deal) to add this year.

Losses

Khyiris Tonga DT (KC) 3-yrs $21M Congratulations to Tonga for betting on himself when he signed a one-year contract with the Patriots last season. We all loved what he brought to the team and they were a better team, stopping the run when he was in the game. 3-years $21M with $14M Guaranteed is a heck of a contract for a backup player. Last season he signed for $2.1M. His projected market by SPOTRAC was $3.1M. There is no way the Patriots could pay $7M for Tonga. I wish him well in KC.

Did the Patriots blow his one? Mark Daniels of MassLive reported the team nearly had Tonga signed to an extension near the end of the season but talks broke down. The team re-visited with Tonga’s representative at the Combine and found out his market was outrageously high, and they couldn’t go there.

There was a depressed DT market, which boosted Tonga’s market.

Austin Hooper TE (ATL) 1-year $3.25M – good deal for Hooper to back up Kyle Pitts. The Patriots couldn’t have two 32-year-old TE’s on the roster. Good deal for Hooper to finish his career.

Jahlani Tavai LB RELEASED – Kinda a shock on the 1^st day of Free Agency. Appears to me that they wanted him to take a pay cut, and he wouldn’t, therefore, he was released. His teammates love him, but he just didn’t fit the Defense.

Vederian Lowe LT (SF) – He signed a 2-year $12M contract with a $5.75M Guarantee. This is a good contract for Lowe. There are rumblings that SF is willing to trade All-Pro LT Trent Williams. Lowe provides them with a very serviceable backup that could start if they deal Williams away.

News and Notes

Christian Barmore’s Domestic Violence case has been dropped by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Prosecutor told the Judge that the case was no longer viable. Great news for Barmore and the Patriots, especially in light of the fact that they lost Khyiris Tonga to Free Agency.

Jonathan Decoster, University of Florida Assistant Offensive Line coach, will be joining the Patriots coaching staff in a similar capacity.

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About Mark Morse

Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob “Harpo” Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.

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