A year ago, the New England Patriots were coming off a 4-13 year with a promising young quarterback, a new coach and an acre of cap space at their disposal. In the weeks that followed, the team spent its available space well, locking up key elements of what would become a Super Bowl team–Milton Williams, Stefon Diggs, Morgan Moses, Robert Spillane, Mack Hollins and so on.
Now the Patriots are the defending AFC champs with an MVP candidate at quarterback, the same coach on hand and still with ample cap space. Not an acre this time, but potentially about half that.
Cap space measurements in the NFL are fungible, but OverTheCap.com has New England at about $42 million and Spotrac has them at about $33 million. There will be draft picks which will need to factor into the cap, as well as extensions and options–star cornerback Christian Gonzalez will warrant a $17 million option, and is likely to get an extension from the team beyond that.
Patriots Must Act While They Can
But in a league where mediocre quarterbacks get $50-plus million per season, the Patriots are in the sweet spot of their roster development, because they have Drake Maye on his rookie contract. Maye’s contract will be a little less than $10 million in 2026, and a little more than $11 million in 2027. After that, he will break the Patriots’ bank.
In the meantime, the Patriots need to strike where the opportunities present themselves. NFL contract guru Mike Ginnitti of Spotrac expects that New England will do just that either in trades or in free-agent signings–though one of the challenges is that the Patriots have good players all over the roster, and have to decide where to upgrade to “great.”
Aggressive Prediction for the Patriots
Here’s what Ginnitti had to say about the Patriots’ near future on the new episode of “The Spotrac Podcast“:
“I do expect New England to be aggressive this offseason, but it is one of those things where if you want to try to rebuild this team, that is probably the best approach. There is not anything jumping off the page that needs to change. Obviously, they need to add on the offensive line. Some of the younger players need experience, but they also need some help, some depth. And we’ll see what happens in that regard.
“This is a team that’s got about $33 million in cap space right now, with contracts. They also have 11 draft picks, most of them later in the game after some trades and comp picks. But they’ve done really nice work to replenish themselves from an asset standpoint.”
Draft Picks, Re-Signing Free Agents on the Docket
It’s important to note that the Patriots do have the ability to create more cap space if they need to through contract conversions that would push money forward into future years. The team doesn’t want to saddle its future too much with those decisions, but if it means landing, say, AJ Brown or Maxx Crosby, the Patriots are in position to make it happen.
The Patriots do have all their own draft picks, plus the Bears‘ fourth-round pick, and three extra sixth-round picks that they could package to move up some or trade to add veterans.
And the Patriots will need to take care of some of their own free agents. K’Lavon Chiasson will need a new contract, and the Patriots would like to keep him around. Same with Austin Hooper and Jaylinn Hawkins. None of those will break the bank, but all contributed.
In the end, the Patriots will have money. The hope is they spend it as wisely as they did last year.
Patriots Predicted to Be ‘Aggressive’ in Free Agency in Coming Weeks