Patriots Leader Makes Notable Change Before NFL Free Agency

The Patriots are expected to make some major additions this NFL offseason, but there likely will be notable subtractions in New England as well.

Mike Vrabel’s team has a handful of impact players set to his unrestricted free agency this week. One of them is Deatrich Wise, who has played his entire career with the Patriots to date since he was selected by New England in the fourth round of the 2017 draft.

After a solid season in which he was a Patriots co-captain, Wise is primed to generate solid interest on the open market. And he recently made a major change in hopes of capitalizing on his situation.

“Longtime Patriots defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr., who spent the first eight years of his career in New England, has hired Drew Rosenhaus as his new agent,” ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote Sunday. “Wise’s nearby lockermate (Davon) Godchaux is also represented by Rosenhaus (and has been given permission to seek a trade).

“With the Patriots under a new Vrabel-led regime, and switching to an attacking defensive system, Wise’s fit is harder to project compared to the last time he was an unrestricted free agent (2021) and re-signed. Prior to Wise’s agent switch, indications were that his return was a longer-odds scenario.”

Even with Rosenhaus representing Wise, the 30-year-old sticking with the Patriots doesn’t feel likely. As Reiss outlined, Wise doesn’t seem to fit in New England’s new defensive scheme and the organization probably isn’t keen on giving a multi-year deal to a player entering his ninth NFL season.

Thus, fans probably can expect to see Wise in a new uniform in the 2025 season.