Patriots Manifesto: How New England Can Pull Off Perfect 2025 Offseason
The Patriots are about to embark on a transformational offseason, which means there’s a lot to talk about in New England!
NESN wanted to outline exactly how much needs to be done, especially in an offseason where you could see more than half the Patriots roster overturned. We decided the best way to do that would be a step-by-step look into the minutiae of it all.
New England’s offseason already has included significant organizational changes, and it soon will see major trades, free agency additions and losses, and an extremely important NFL draft. We want to delve into all of that, with specific examples coming together to build out a better roster for the future.
Welcome to the Patriots Manifesto!
Here’s how New England can pull off the perfect 2025 offseason.
ORGANIZATIONAL
New England made our job pretty easy by turning over a large part of the organization relatively quickly, but Mike Vrabel (head coach), Josh McDaniels (offensive coordinator) and Terrell Williams (defensive coordinator) aren’t the only new faces you can expect to see around One Patriot Place in 2025.
The Patriots recently announced their full coaching staff, which includes a wealth of names you already knew before the announcement. Thomas Brown, Doug Marrone, Todd Downing and Ben McAdoo have been around the block, with three of the four having head coaching experience. Vrabel retained very few members of the staff from last season, focusing on experience, familiarity and upside while building things out.
Vrabel is probably set with his decisions, but we didn’t start this thing to have people do the work for us. So, we decided to add one extra name to an already established staff.
Kris Richard was successful as defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks from 2015 to 2017 but found himself in lesser roles for the Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys over the last several seasons after leaving over personnel decisions. The Patriots should look for him to take on a defensive passing game coordinator role under Williams, allowing Richard to have some real input for the first time in a while and provide play-calling experience on the defensive side of the ball.
That leaves the following organizational projections for 2025:
COACHING STAFF
Mike Vrabel (Head Coach)
Josh McDaniels (Offensive Coordinator)
Terrell Williams (Defensive Coordinator)
Jeremy Springer (Special Teams Coordinator)
Thomas Brown (Tight Ends/Off. Passing Game Coordinator)
Ashton Grant (Quarterbacks)
Tony Dews (Running Backs)
Todd Downing (Wide Receivers)
Doug Marrone (Offensive Line)
Jason Houghtaling (Assistant Offensive Line)
Robert Kugler (Assistant Offensive Line)
Riley Larkin (Offensive Assistant)
Chuckie Keeton (Offensive Assistant)
Kris Richard (Def. Passing Game Coordinator)
Clint McMillan (Defensive Line)
Zak Kuhr (Inside Linebackers)
Mike Smith (Outside Linebackers)
Justin Hamilton (Cornerbacks)
Scott Booker (Safeties)
Ben McAdoo (Senior Defensive Assistant)
Vinny DePalma (Defensive Assistant)
Kevin Richardson (Defensive Assistant)
Milton Patterson (Defensive Assistant)
Tom Quinn (Assistant Special Teams)
Frank Piraino (Director of Sports Performance)
Deron Mayo (Strength and Conditioning)
Brian McDonough (Assistant Strength and Conditioning)
FRONT OFFICE
Robert Kraft (Chairman/CEO)
Jonathan Kraft (President)
Eliot Wolf (EVP of Player Personnel)
Ryan Cowden (VP of Player Personnel)
John Streicher (VP of Football Operations and Strategy)
Alonzo Highsmith (Senior Personnel Executive)
Patrick Stewart (Director of Player Personnel)
Camren Williams (Director of College Scouting)
TRADES
The Patriots don’t have much talent on the roster, but they sure as hell aren’t devoid of assets.
New England could have entered this offseason with the ammunition necessary to make huge changes, as it had the inside track to the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. It’s tough to forget what happened with that, though, as one game pushed the Patriots all the way down to No. 4.
Vrabel, Wolf and Cowden can still use the ammunition they currently have to make major roster changes, however. It’s probably just going to take some creativity, which is what we looked to have while exploring ways to upgrade this roster.
OverTheCap’s salary cap calculator helped us crunch the numbers, while PFF’s mock draft simulator ran trades. If you have any beef regarding certain logistics, it could be with them.
Here are the trades we’re suggesting for the Patriots:
The Patriots trade the No. 219 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Philadelphia Eagles for EDGE Bryce Huff
Huff, 26, was a highly coveted free agent last offseason and parlayed tons of interest into a three-year, $51.1 million contract from Philadelphia. It’s understandable why he earned that deal, as many expected him to slide directly into the pass-rushing role that opened when Haason Reddick was traded to the New York Jets. But it was actually taken by up-and-coming rushers Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt.
Huff never quite found his form in a new shade of green, essentially being benched in Week 7 and never getting back to a consistent role. The Eagles could look to cut ties early, getting off the majority of that remaining money this offseason by shipping him elsewhere.
The Patriots should be among the teams calling, as their exterior rush group was among the worst in football last season. Huff could come in and immediately improve the talent in that room while allowing guys like Keion White and Anfernee Jennings to play in positions better suited to their strengths.
The Patriots trade the No. 144 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Cleveland Browns for OT Jack Conklin
Conklin, 31, makes almost too much sense for an exercise like this, having originally been drafted by the Tennessee Titans, where he overlapped for one season with Vrabel. Conklin then cashed in with the Browns, but a bad string of injuries and their horrific financial situation have him looking like a potential cap casualty.
The Patriots would have to take on a decent chunk of his salary, but $20 million isn’t a bad investment over the next two seasons given their current situation along the offensive line. The Baltimore Ravens’ Ronnie Stanley and Los Angeles Rams’ Alaric Jackson would cost more, and with our next move, New England would essentially ensure an upgrade at both tackle spots while saving money to land free agency’s biggest fish.
The Patriots trade the No. 38 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and a 2026 third-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for the No. 26 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft
The Patriots aren’t going to fix their roster by doing the conventional, so we have them making the bold move of trading back into the first round to address multiple needs in one night. New England’s moves won’t be revealed just yet, but it’s safe to say the Patriots would be able to add two players at premium positions while locking in what many people believe to be the best player in the draft.
The Patriots trade WR Kendrick Bourne to the Baltimore Ravens for the No. 127 pick and the No. 176 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft
Bourne, 29, is the closest thing to an adult currently walking around the receiver room at One Patriot Place, but given our plans, it makes sense to move on before it’s too late. The Patriots know he’ll work in their new system, but it’s hard to argue the high-energy wideout didn’t lose a step last season.
The Ravens are a perfect landing spot for him, needing to fill out their receiving corps with Nelson Agholor, Tylan Wallace and Deonte Harty all scheduled to hit free agency. Bourne would be a tremendous fourth (or fifth) option for Lamar Jackson.
Here’s the full breakdown based on those moves:
ADDITIONS
EDGE Bryce Huff
OT Jack Conklin
No. 26 pick (2025)
No. 127 pick (2025)
No. 176 pick (2025)
DEPARTURES
WR Kendrick Bourne
No. 38 pick (2025)
No. 219 pick (2025)
No. 144 pick (2025)
Third-round pick (2026)
CASH SPENT: $17M
CAP SPACE REMAINING: $103.3M
2025 DRAFT PICKS REMAINING: 9
FREE AGENCY
The Patriots made a few notable trades in our previous section, but they’ll still be left with a decent chunk of change to spend in free agency. It’s important to discuss both internal and external options, so let’s get straight into it.
OverTheCap will continue to be our main tool as we crunch the numbers.
New England will have to make decisions on 21 of its own players currently set to hit the market — all of whom are either unrestricted, restricted or exclusive rights free agents. It’s pretty obvious who will be prioritized, so let’s discuss the guys who will be retained and set a few free.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
QB Jacoby Brissett
RB JaMycal Hasty
RB Kevin Harris
WR Braylon Sanders
TE Austin Hooper
TE Mitchell Wilcox
OT Chukwuma Okorafor
DT Daniel Ekuale
DL Deatrich Wise
DL Jotham Russell
LB Oshane Ximines
CB Jonathan Jones
S Jaylinn Hawkins
K Joey Slye
The Patriots should be buying plane tickets for a number of these guys, so we’ll only focus on the important ones. Brissett likely won’t have interest in returning to his current role, so you can kiss that guy goodbye. Hooper, Wise, Ekuale, Ximines, Hawkins, Slye and Jones are interesting cases, though.
Hooper would continue to be a great secondary option at tight end, so the hope is he won’t find a more substantial role elsewhere. New England needs to start looking at ways to get younger at that position, but re-signing a guy who has played for both Vrabel and McDaniels in the past would be the best way to do so — allowing yourself a chance to develop someone who won’t cost a premium pick. Hooper also probably wouldn’t mind doubling his salary, like we’re about to do here.
Slye had a perfectly mediocre season, but you probably want to find a way to upgrade that kicker spot. The Patriots will bring him back alongside John Parker Romo to compete in training camp.
Wise had a rough year in his elevated role, and it’s probably time for him to find a new home. Jones’ return would be entirely tied to his market, but we think it won’t take too much to bring him back. Ximines, Hawkins and Ekuale’s markets won’t be very strong. New England will bring the latter back on a deal similar to last season’s for our purposes.
We will provide the financial details for all entries below.
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
OL Lester Cotton
LB Christian Elliss
Elliss was surprisingly effective when he was thrust into a defensive role early in the season, so retaining him is a no-brainer. The Patriots should allow him to test free agency, though, because it could save them almost $2 million.
Cotton, on the other hand, is as good as gone.
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS
WR JaQuae Jackson
OL Demontrey Jacobs
OL Ben Brown
DL Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
CB Alex Austin
New England likely will extend qualifying offers to all five players listed above, which makes them unable to negotiate with other teams and will cost the club almost nothing. Austin is the only player you would expect to compete for a serious role moving forward, but two former starting offensive linemen won’t be let go no matter how many upgrades are made elsewhere.
RELEASES
LB Sione Takitaki
IOL Jake Andrews
Takitaki only has one year left on his deal, but releasing him would save a few million dollars toward the cap. New England should strongly consider moving on after one season, as injuries piled up during his first season and left him extremely behind when he eventually returned. It’s not like there aren’t easy ways to upgrade that spot readily available.
Andrews hasn’t been able to find the field in two seasons, and his release will open up a few more bucks as we prepare to make some splashes in free agency.
The Patriots need to make additions at wide receiver, along the offensive line, along the defensive line, at linebacker and in the secondary. So, our focus will be signings at each of those spots.
EXTERNAL IMPACT SIGNINGS
WR Tee Higgins
OT Patrick Mekari
DT Levi Onwuzurike
CB Paulson Adebo
Higgins, 26, needed to be on this list, because if he weren’t, people would be holding torches outside our headquarters. The Patriots will need to pay a premium to obtain his services, though, because there will be several other teams in play (i.e., Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals) this offseason.
New England not only gets the edge because it makes this exercise more fun, but also because it has shown a willingness to commit tons of guaranteed money to receivers — which we fully expect to remain true.
Mekari, 27, might be the best value signing we’ll make here, as he won’t necessarily break the bank despite being an undoubted starter no matter where he plays along the offensive line. The Patriots will sign him in hopes that he settles in at left guard, but he’s a legit threat to play left tackle early if someone we talk about later isn’t ready for the blindside quite yet.
Onwuzurike, 26, is a budding superstar, who just happens to be a protege of new defensive coordinator Terrell Williams. The Detroit Lions would love to keep him but essentially made their decision last offseason by extending Alim McNeil. The Patriots would be happy to swoop in.
Adebo, 25, is another value signing that could end up becoming a big piece. The Patriots surely would love to add another long, physical cornerback to the room, and they might be able to do so on a prove-it deal because of last year’s season-ending injury.
EXTERNAL DEPTH SIGNINGS
QB Jimmy Garoppolo
WR Darius Slayton
EDGE Malcolm Koonce
LB Elandon Roberts
Garoppolo, 33, would be a hilarious guy to bring in. Maye could use a veteran voice, and we chose the funniest option — who also has a wealth of experience working with Josh McDaniels.
Slayton, 28, might feel expensive when you see our projected number, but he did nothing but post throughout six seasons with the New York Giants. New England would have to find itself a real No. 2 option to go along with the big guy we signed earlier, and there are few better options.
Koonce, 26, was incredibly underrated during his tenure with the Las Vegas Raiders, enjoying a breakout season in 2023 before missing the entirety of 2024. Koonce likely will want to find a place where he’ll have opportunities to get after the quarterback so he can recoup some value. And that place very well could be Gillette Stadium.
Roberts, 30, has only gotten better since departing New England in 2019, which could put him in line for a return. The Patriots need depth at off-ball linebacker, and adding someone like this could help push Jahlani Tavai, Kyle Dugger and Marte Mapu to spots more suited to their capabilities.
It’s never a bad idea to add veteran leaders, either.
Here’s the full breakdown:
ADDITIONS/RETAINED
QB Jimmy Garoppolo (1 yr, $4M)
WR Tee Higgins (4 yr, $128M)
WR Darius Slayton (2 yr, $24M)
WR JaQuae Jackson (1 yr, $960k)
TE Austin Hooper (1 yr, $6M)
OL Patrick Mekari (2 yr, $24M)
OL Demontrey Jacobs (1 yr, $960k)
OL Ben Brown (1 yr, $1.03M)
DT Levi Onwuzurike (2 yr, $17M)
DT Daniel Ekuale (1 yr, $2M)
DL Jeremiah Pharms Jr. (1 yr, $1.03M)
EDGE Malcolm Koonce (2 yr, $9M)
LB Christian Elliss (1 yr, $1.3M)
LB Elandon Roberts (2 yr, $9M)
CB Paulson Adebo (1 yr, $5M)
CB Jonathan Jones (1 yr, $5.5M)
CB Alex Austin (1 yr, $1.03M)
K Joey Slye (1 yr, $1.3M)
DEPARTURES
QB Jacoby Brissett
RB JaMycal Hasty
RB Kevin Harris
WR Braylon Sanders
TE Mitchell Wilcox
OL Jake Andrews
OL Lester Cotton
OT Chukwuma Okorafor
DL Deatrich Wise Jr.
DL Jotham Russell
EDGE Oshane Ximines
LB Sione Takitaki
S Jaylinn Hawkins
2025 CASH SPENT: $81.1M
TOTAL CASH SPENT: $241M
2025 CAP SPACE REMAINING: $22.2M
2026 CAP SPACE REMAINING: $34.4M
ROSTER SPOTS REMAINING: 17
2025 NFL DRAFT
The Patriots’ primary goal during free agency should be to address each of their biggest needs, which then opens up the ability to draft the most talented players available and not focus on specific positions. We followed that ideology, but you know we also have a trick or two up our sleeves when it comes to the draft itself.
PFF’s mock draft simulator will once again be our primary tool, though we’ll actually be drafting this time. New England has nine picks to play with, including those we picked up through prior trades.
Here are the draft picks we’re suggesting for the Patriots:
No. 4: EDGE Abdul Carter (Penn State)
Carter is as close to a slam dunk pick as anyone possibly could be, with the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants essentially deciding for us by selecting quarterback Cam Ward, wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, respectively.
New England needs a legitimate difference-maker at No. 4, and one falls directly to that spot in our exercise. It’s a no-brainer.
No. 26: OT Grey Zabel (North Dakota State)
Zabel had perhaps the best showing of any prospect at the Senior Bowl, using the opportunity to showcase that he’s fully capable of holding his own as a tackle despite less-than-ideal arm length and level of competition. The Patriots added two viable options at tackle earlier in this exercise, so we get to take a bit of a gamble with this selection.
Zabel and Mekari can both play all over the offensive line, which opens up all sorts of possibilities for New England.
No. 69: DL Darius Alexander (Toledo)
Toledo’s greatest export since the perfume atomizer, Alexander was another standout from the 2025 Senior Bowl.
The Patriots need tons of help in the trenches, and Alexander joins the likes of Carter, Huff and Onwuzurike to help rebuild things alongside the likes of Christian Barmore and Davon Godchaux. Oh baby, what a group!
No. 77: TE Harold Fannin Jr. (Bowling Green)
Fannin is one of the most prolific tight ends in the history of college football, but beyond that, he has the physical makeup of your prototypical “move” option in one of McDaniels’ offenses.
Aaron Hernandez made that role famous, but it was later occupied in tweaked iterations by the likes of Martellus Bennett and Jonnu Smith — to varying results. Fannin’s arrival would eventually allow for those two-tight end sets to become a little more dynamic. And he one day could take over for Hunter Henry as the top target in that room.
No. 104: WR Jaylin Noel (Iowa State)
Noel’s college teammate, Jayden Higgins, will grab the highlights for his blend of size and athleticism, but there isn’t a better route-runner in the draft than this young man. New England should strongly consider taking as many swings as possible at the position, and Noel would be as good as any.
No. 127: RB Brashard Smith (SMU)
No. 176: RB Tahj Brooks (Texas Tech)
The Patriots need to add backfield depth, so we used back-to-back selections to address that need with two very different players. Smith fits the old passing-down role that has been lost in recent seasons, originally starting his collegiate career as a wide receiver and still running routes like one. Brooks is an early-down guy, who can do damage between the tackles and spell someone like Rhamondre Stevenson late in games should it be required — before eventually taking on more carries as the season progresses.
No. 222: OL Drew Kendall (Boston College)
No. 240: OT Carson Vinson (Alabama A&M)
Kendall played for Doug Marrone at Boston College, and it only felt right that we connect one of his former players to New England. Vinson is another swing for us along the offensive line, which you can never take too many of.
DRAFT RESULTS
EDGE Abdul Carter
OT Grey Zabel
DL Darius Alexander
TE Harold Fannin Jr.
WR Jaylin Noel
RB Brashard Smith
RB Tahj Brooks
OL Drew Kendall
OT Carson Vinson
OVERALL RESULTS
The Patriots aren’t going to fix it all in one offseason, but taking similar steps to the ones we laid out could accelerate what should be a two- to three-year rebuild.
New England ultimately needs to add talent, which is why we primarily focused on younger players who are looking to continue building value. The Patriots can offer two things to all of them: opportunity and cash — which is a pretty decent place to start.
It’s easy to argue that building a culture starts with proven veterans, but while that might be true, there’s also a great deal to be said about injecting this team with youth and energy. Vrabel has proven himself to be a culture specialist, so let the man earn his money by inking talented players across premium positions. Wolf and Cowden will work in lockstep trying to align the front office’s vision with that of the big guy in charge, but there’s little doubt that ownership will be pushing to land some big names that can immediately raise this club’s floor.
This “Patriots Manifesto” (patent pending) was designed to do exactly that, while showcasing just one of the many paths the organization can take on its journey back toward relevance — with a few specific examples sprinkled along the way.
Do we expect things to play out exactly like this? No, but this is our best attempt at doing what the folks down at One Patriot Place will be tasked with over the coming months.
Can they do any better? We’ll see.
What do you think, folks? We’d like to hear about your favorite and least favorite move, with a few commenters eventually selected to be featured in an upcoming post on NESN.com!