Most teams that reach the Super Bowl find themselves in a cap crunch once the new league year starts; the Patriots are the exception to that rule.
Dubbed this year’s overachievers, New England’s turnaround from 3-14 to 13-4 was not only remarkable, but accelerated their timeline to must-win status.
As Jerod Mayo once said, the Patriots have cash to burn, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will spend that money out of house.
Following a complete roster overhaul last season, the Patriots just have six impending free agents once the new league year starts on March 11. While the talent acquired at the 2023 draft could receive some paydays, Christian Gonzalez, Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas are eligible for extensions this offseason.
It’s a unique situation. With only six impending free agents, the Patriots could easily re-sign all of them. But with future extensions to keep in mind, will they?
Here are all of New England’s key free agents that they should be looking to re-sign.
K’Lavon Chaisson
K’Lavon Chaisson is coming off a career year with New England. The former first-round pick tallied a career high 54 pressures, 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble returned for a touchdown.
The good news for the Patriots is that the 26-year-old Chaisson has expressed his desire to return to Foxborough.
On Jan. 30, the linebacker appeared on the Up & Adams show and delivered the following message on his impending free agency.
“Call the guys and tell them I’m trying to come back,” Chaisson said.
But the question isn’t whether or not the Patriots want the edge rusher back; it’s whether they’ll write the check. Chaisson’s market is expected to be inflated due to his career year in New England.
Re-signing Chaisson makes the most sense as New England needs to be filling holes, not creating them. With the recent news that the Patriots released Stefon Diggs, it makes sense to keep the ship sturdy and retain as many stars from the Super Bowl IX run as possible.
Jaylinn Hawkins
It may seem like ancient history at this point, but after the surprise releases of safeties Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers at the beginning of last season, Jaylinn Hawkins had to fill in as a full-time starter.
A true all-over-the-field type of player, Hawkins emerged as an extremely versatile asset.
Before transforming into a full-time starter this season, Hawkins was only seen as a part-timer in the league for his first five seasons. But this year proved to be different, Hawkins was effective as a blitzer and in coverage.
The duo of Hawkins and rookie Craig Woodson is a recipe for success in the secondary, and while Hawkins will have a strong market this offseason, New England will have the tools to retain him.
Khyiris Tonga
Khyiris Tonga emerged on the scene this season as the big, run-stuffing nose tackle that served as the perfect complement to Christian Barmore and Milton Williams. The 29-year-old served a versatile role on offense as well in short-yardage situations, using his 335-pound frame to block for runners.
The nose tackle market is pretty low on the positional totem pole, so in terms of affordability, it should be a slam dunk for the Patriots. His unique situational skills allow him to serve the perfect role in New England; there’s no reason why he’d want to leave, and there should be no excuse for the Patriots not to bring him back on.
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