/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73951508/2174025455.0.jpg)
The Patriots will enter free agency week as the league leaders in salary cap space, and they are willing to spend it.
Even though NFL free agency proper will not start until Wednesday afternoon, there already has been a clear uptick in activity across the league. It will reach a first climax on Monday at noon with the opening of the so-called legal tampering period.
The New England Patriots, who are the NFL leaders in salary cap space, are expected to be quite active from the get-go. How they will spend what projects to be around $110 to $120 million, depending on the details of the Harold Landry deal, remains to be seen.
To stay on top of all the latest news and rumors regarding the New England’s free agency, please make sure to bookmark and regularly re-visit our Patriots tracker. For now, let’s take a look at nine players the team of head coach Mike Vrabel and quasi-general manager Eliot Wolf has been linked to heading into free agency week.
NFL free agents linked to the Patriots
WR Chris Godwin: The Patriots have been linked to several wide receivers over the last few weeks, included recently-traded DK Metcalf and Deebo Samuel. While they will still try to evaluate the trade market and pounce if possible, the expectation is that they will come hard after the top wide receiver set to enter free agency: Chris Godwin, who would add a dynamic presence to Josh McDaniels’ offense and serve as a volume target and go-to guy for quarterback Drake Maye.
OT Dan Moore Jr. and OT Cam Robinson: New England considered Ronnie Stanley a top offensive tackle target this offseason, but with the Pro Bowler staying in Baltimore will have to pivot to the next best options to find a new starting left tackle. The belief is that Dan Moore and Cam Robinson of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings, respectively, are that in the team’s eyes. Neither would bring the same quality that Stanley would have provided, but either would be more than just serious challengers to the role held by Vederian Lowe in 2024.
OT Morgan Moses: We’ll mention Morgan Moses separately from Dan Moore and Cam Robinson, because unlike those two he would project to play right tackle for the Patriots. Even though he is already 34 and missed three games each in both 2023 and 2024, he projects as a fairly attractive stopgap solution — a high-quality/low-cost placeholder until either Caedan Wallace or a rookie addition is ready to take over — who is still an able run blocker and pass protector.
DT Milton Williams: The Patriots’ defensive line is set to see some changes this offseason, in large part because of new head coach Mike Vrabel preferring a more attacking style up front. The shift would make Williams a perfect fit and natural target to pursue — something the Patriots are expected to do even if he comes in at a cost upward of $20 million per year. The 6-foot-3, 290-pounder, after all, showed impressive improvement in his four years with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
DT Levi Onwuzurike: The connection between Onwuzurike and the Patriots is obvious: new defensive coordinator Terrell Williams was his position coach with the Detroit Lions last season. Williams helped the 27-year-old bounce back big-time after two straight challenging seasons, and he set himself up nicely for free agency by posting a career-high 47 quarterback pressures and also increasing his run stop rate to 6.3 percent.
CB Charvarius Ward: Thanks to Christian Gonzalez, the Patriots have one of their outside cornerback spots locked down for the foreseeable future. Ward, who was one of the league’s better CBs himself before an understandable down year in 2024 following the loss of his 1-year-old daughter, would be a good complement for the All-Pro and bring a similar aggressive style to the perimeter. If he can return to form following a fresh start, Ward and Gonzalez would give New England one of the most promising cornerback groups in football.
CB Carlton Davis III: Another former Lion set to enter the open market, Davis is another tall, physical cornerback tailor-made for an aggressive style of play. While his 2024 season came to a premature end due to a jaw fracture suffered in December, he was in the middle of a quality season that included a pair of interceptions and two forced fumbles. Davis would be as solid a No. 2 alongside Gonzalez as they come.
CB Byron Murphy Jr.: A former second-round draft pick, Murphy established himself as one of the NFL’s better ballhawks after joining the Vikings in 2023: starting 32 games over the last two seasons, he intercepted nine passes and also forced a pair of fumbles. Besides bringing superior size compared to current Patriots nickel Marcus Jones, he would also offer inside/out flexibility and therefore improve the depth both on the perimeter and in the slot.
The Patriots landing all nine of those players will not happen, for obvious reasons. However, it would not be any surprise if some of them eventually found their way to New England: some have connections to the current staff, some would address major needs, some would just give the club better competition or rotational depth at key spots.
The Patriots do have the means of acquiring any of them, though, and have shown an interest in making moves.