The New England Patriots‘ 2025 campaign has come to an end, and after having so much go their way throughout the year, they did not get the result they were hoping for in Super Bowl LX. With a 29-13 defeat at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks, the Patriots have been sent back to the drawing board, looking for answers as to where things went wrong.
Still, this season has to go down as a major win for New England, even if it didn’t prevail in the biggest game of the year. Now, the team has to find a way to build off of its breakout campaign, which is going to be easier said than done. The first order of business will involve working on re-signing their impending free agents, with safety Jaylinn Hawkins being a part of that group. However, it sounds like he wants to stick around with New England for years to come.
Jaylinn Hawkins Reflects on Patriots’ Super Bowl Defeat
The 2025 season was a breakout campaign for the Patriots, but individually, the same was true for Hawkins. After New England surprisingly moved on from Jabrill Peppers, Marcus Epps, and Kyle Dugger, that opened the door for Hawkins to earn a starting safety role alongside his former California Golden Bears teammate, Craig Woodson.
Hawkins turned in arguably the best season of his career as a full-time starter with New England, as he racked up 71 tackles, 1.5 sacks, four interceptions, six pass deflections, and one forced fumble. With him and Woodson holding down the backend of the Pats’ defense, that gave their teammates in front of them the ability to play more freely.
In a perfect world, New England would have won the Super Bowl, but it simply wasn’t the team’s time. Now, Hawkins could conceivably be on the move as a free agent this offseason, but in his first comments after losing Super Bowl LX, he sounded like a guy who is intent on returning to the Patriots for the 2026 season and beyond.
“This stings, man,” Hawkins said after the game. “We’re all in it together. We lost together. We’re gonna remember this and get back next year.”
Should the Patriots Re-Sign Jaylinn Hawkins?
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)Jaylinn Hawkins #21 of the New England Patriots looks on during the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Gillette Stadium on November 17, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Hawkins appears to be one of the more likely returnees from the Patriots’ impending free agent class. Not only is he a solid fit in head coach Mike Vrabel’s defensive scheme, but he shouldn’t cost the front office a ton of money. There’s no doubt Hawkins has earned himself a raise, but New England has more than enough cap space to be able to afford to bring him back to town.
For his part, Hawkins seems very interested in re-signing with the Pats, and given how well he played alongside Woodson, it’d be a pretty big surprise if he doesn’t return to the team in free agency. As we all know, anything can happen in the NFL, but Hawkins seems like an obvious candidate to return to the Patriots this offseason.
Patriots’ Jaylinn Hawkins Delivers Honest Statement on Super Bowl Loss Ahead of Free Agency