With the Super Bowl now over—and the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes one ring closer to threatening the New England Patriots’ dynasty—it’s time to shift focus to the 2024 NFL offseason.
This offseason has seen the Patriots clear house offensively, and add some outside voices to their defense and front office to help Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf regain control of the building post-Bill Belichick.
This offseason is an important one, and the Patriots hold the third overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft in what should be an offense-heavy draft.
Without further ado, let’s get into this offseason guide for the Patriots with key updates and information surrounding the team.
Coaching staff changes
Key Additions: Alex Van Pelt OC (Cleveland), Ben McCadoo Assistant (Free Agent) and TJ McCartney QBs Coach (Cleveland)
Key Departures: Bill Belichick HC/GM (Free Agent), Bill O’Brien OC (Boston College), Steve Belichick LBs/play-caller (University of Washington)
Key Promotions: Jerod Mayo HC (LB coach), DeMarcus Covington DC (DL coach), Eliot Wolf de-facto GM (scouting director)
The Patriots needed to clear house after moving on from Belichick, and they did so under new head coach Jerod Mayo and de-facto general manager Eliot Wolf.
All signs have pointed to a new regime, and Mayo and Wolf have put together a respectable coaching room that not only helps usher in a new age offense, but it’s also a much-needed culture shift to the modern NFL player.
The coaching staff and new front office additions are a good mix of successful position coaches, polished professionals, youthful leaders and veteran voices in the locker room. Its a welcoming sign for some collaborative work coming in the draft, free agency and the development of players on the roster.
Patriots internal free agents
Key free agents: Trent Brown, Mike Onwenu, Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne, Ezekiel Elliott, Josh Uche, Kyle Dugger, and Anfernee Jennings
Extension eligible: Jabrill Peppers, Christian Barmore, Rhamondre Stevenson, Matthew Judon, Jon Jones and Jahlani Tavai
5th year option: Mac Jones
The Patriots will have some decisions to make with a decent level of capital on their side. They can target re-signing and extending their own players, before they make substantial offers to free agents from other teams. Christian Barmore has likely played himself into a larger contract long-term, and Matthew Judon may want a pay raise as well.
But there are a few free agents the Patriots may target to bring back, like Mike Onwenu, Josh Uche, Kyle Dugger, Anfernee Jennings, Hunter Henry and Kendrick Bourne. Of course, they still could retain more, but these are the ones I feel would most likely return under new management.
Lastly, Mac Jones will likely have his fifth-year option declined, as the team is likely to move on from him in the offseason.
They would want to give those rights to a team that targets him as a reclamation project. The only way I could see the Patriots picking up Jones’ option is if they are fully committed to rebuilding him under new management. However, Jones playing under his fourth different offensive coordinator in four years is seemingly an impossible scenario.
Team needs
Team needs: QB, WR, OT, TE, EDGE, FS
The Patriots have massive needs at some of the most important and valuable positions, but they might not have enough ammo to do it all in one offseason. They need to throw their cash and cap at as many holes as possible, as long as those fit the timeline of a rebuilding team.
Many are expecting the Patriots to take a quarterback at No. 3 overall in the draft, but they’ll need to ensure it’s the right guy. All signs point to Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels being available at the No. 3 spot.
There are some ways to address the rest of the holes. They could target San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk via trade, Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins via sign and trade (likely he gets tagged) or signing Indianapolis Colts wideout Michael Pittman Jr.
The Patriots have a clean slate on offense and could be looking to rebuild with a west coast offense. But honestly, they could really mold the team into whatever they want.
Draft capital
The Patriots have the following draft selections in the 2024 NFL draft:
Round 1, Pick No. 3
Round 2, Pick No. 34
Round 3, Pick No. TBD
Round 4, Pick No. TBD
Round 5, Pick No. TBD
Round 6, Pick No. TBD
Round 7, Pick No. TBD (Via Bears)
Cap space
Current cap space, per Miguel Benzan of Pats Cap: $69.4 million
(2/2) 7 Pats have a total of $5.8M in LTBE incentives in 2024. Marco Wilson & Rhamondre Stevenson earned the Proven Performance Escalator increasing their 2024 salaries. https://t.co/7poeBzeYE0
Releasing J.C. Jackson would add $13.46M to the cap space number making it $82.8M pic.twitter.com/bgXYKiV21m
— Miguel Benzan projects Pats Cap Space to be 69.4M (@patscap) February 12, 2024
