Just two weeks after the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots’ brass is already on its way to Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine and the unofficial kickoff to the roster-building portion of the offseason.
Things will move quickly this offseason for the Pats, who didn’t have as much time for scouting before the combine as other franchises, especially since Mike Vrabel’s say in the offseason plans carries such weight.
With that, plenty of questions arrive for the Pats over the next two weeks before free agency begins. Today, we answer your questions in a mailbag. As always, questions may have been edited for clarity and brevity. Let’s dive in.
Given the likely asking price and the number of holes this team still has, is a trade for Maxx Crosby realistic or prudent? — Dan G.
It’s definitely realistic. Signs continue to point to Crosby wanting out of Las Vegas. And the Patriots could sell themselves on being one dynamite edge rusher from a return to the Super Bowl after how well last season went.
The problem is that although Vrabel squeezed the absolute most out of the roster in 2025, the Patriots still have plenty of holes. And acquiring Crosby, who will be 29 next season, might require two first-round picks.
If the Pats were to trade for Crosby, they’d likely be giving up their best chances at acquiring a long-term right tackle this year and a long-term cornerback or wide receiver next year. That means it’s probably not the most prudent move.
And yet, big swings are fun. Would it be the most responsible trade? Maybe not. But it would make the Patriots one of the league’s most fascinating teams in 2026 and allow them to take full advantage of Drake Maye’s rookie contract. If they could do the deal for something less than two first-round picks (say, No. 31 this year and a second next year), I’d do that trade.
What are your thoughts on Stefon Diggs? Simply put, he was excellent this year. With that said, his play fizzled in the playoffs (which was not limited to him on offense), his cap number now swells, and he’s also facing some potential serious legal trouble. What should they do with Diggs/WR position? — Kyle D.
To me, this is the most pressing question at the start of the offseason. The Patriots could designate Diggs as a post-June 1 cut and save nearly $21 million against the cap.
In almost any year, that would be the wise move, especially with a massive extension looming for Christian Gonzalez.
But here’s the problem: Maye deserves more weapons on offense, and unless you have a great plan for upgrading wide receiver, it’s hard to see how subtracting Diggs will help the team.
So I’d try to renegotiate with Diggs to lower his 2026 cap hit. If that doesn’t work out, you designate him for a post-June 1 cut and pay someone like Alec Pierce in free agency.
Who are the candidates to restructure or be cut for cap purposes? I’ve seen that the Patriots have about $45M in cap space. I figure at least $30M would be the going rate for a Gonzalez extension, so currently, there wouldn’t be a lot of room for other moves. — Andrew S.
The cap numbers at the start of the offseason are always deceiving. It’s easy to move money around.
You could do that by renegotiating with Diggs, Mike Onwenu, Hunter Henry, Carlton Davis, or Christian Barmore.
Fear not: The Patriots can easily make enough room to extend Gonzalez (who will likely become the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback) and sign multiple starting-caliber free agents.
How high on the Pats’ priority list would you put RT for the draft? — Michael M.
Very high. As in, I’d put right tackle as the second-biggest priority entering the draft (at least at this stage), behind only edge rusher.
Morgan Moses was better than I expected this season, both in longevity and performance. He was also great in the locker room — everything the team wanted from a right tackle. But the chances he’ll still be the Pats’ starting right tackle in 2027 are slim.
The best teams are the ones that develop starters in the positions they know they’ll have to replace in a year. And that’s what the Pats should do at right tackle this offseason.
The WR room improved this year, but we still miss that top guy. Who’s our No. 1 target? — Luc G.
This is one of the Patriots’ trickiest issues to address. There aren’t a ton of obvious wide-receiver candidates.
Alec Pierce might be the top free agent, and he’s an incredible deep threat. Across the board, he ranked No. 1 in nearly every deep-threat statistic. But one problem that hasn’t been mentioned much when discussing Pierce is that Kayshon Boutte ranked second in most of those stats.
Is it redundant to have Pierce and Boutte? Or, put a different way, if they sign Pierce, does that diminish Boutte’s role?
If not Pierce, the other top free-agent options are Mike Evans, Wan’Dale Robinson and Jauan Jennings. Here’s our full ranking of the 2026 free agents (though, as usual, the crop isn’t especially deep at wide receiver).
Taking a look back at the expectations you had for the Pats’ 2025 rookie class before the season, who exceeded expectations the most? Who underwhelmed the most? And why? — Chris W.
The first part is easy. Craig Woodson got better and better as the season went on. He far exceeded expectations that he’d just contribute on special teams.
Here’s a surprise pick for who underwhelmed: TreVeyon Henderson. Yes, he was a legit candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year, but hear me out: Henderson was too boom-or-bust to be trusted by coaches late in the season. Most of his midseason success was boosted by a few explosive carries.
While Henderson’s big-play ability was certainly there, he needs to get better at picking up what’s in front of him. Before the season, I thought Henderson would become the no-doubt No. 1 running back for the Patriots. Maybe those expectations were too high. But he didn’t reach that level of play in a league where running backs often do. And it’s still not a given that he’ll get more than half the carries next season.
New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 911 yards and nine touchdowns on 180 carries in 2025. (Darren Yamashita / Imagn Images)
It’s clear the offensive line still needs upgrades. What do you expect are the next steps? — Alan K.
Moving Jared Wilson to center seems like the simplest option, though it’s worth noting that Wilson struggled there early in training camp last year.
If you do that, left guard becomes the biggest need, though that’s not a difficult position to fill. A mid-round draft pick could compete with a veteran for the job. Maybe you sign someone like 35-year-old Kevin Zeitler to a one-year stopgap deal while hoping to develop, say, a fourth-round pick.
You probably renegotiate with Mike Onwenu because he has no remaining guaranteed money on his deal and was the team’s best offensive lineman last season. Also, draft a right tackle as a long-term option behind Moses.
But it’s conceivable that the Pats will have only one new starter on the O-line next season.
With the arrival of John Harbaugh at the Giants and the appointment of Dawn Aponte, Joe Schoen seemingly has been demoted/relegated to only scouting. Do you anticipate similar changes at the Patriots with Mike Vrabel, Ryan Cowden and Eliot Wolf? Or is the current setup already similar, and is Eliot Wolf solely responsible for scouting? — Tim V.
The Patriots already have a similar setup, where the head coach has the most power in the organization and reports to the owner. Wolf did a nice job adjusting to what Vrabel wants to do. Cowden and John Streicher have long been Vrabel’s most trusted executives.
They all have contributed to scouting in ways that help Vrabel. They all deserve credit for the way they’ve helped Vrabel. But make no mistake: This is Vrabel’s show.
Hypothetical — if the Patriots had another top 5 pick this year, who would you target in the draft as a dream pick for this current roster? — Andrew S.
This is a fun one to end on, especially since none of Dane Brugler’s top prospects play the positions that the Pats need most.
Ohio State’s Arvell Reese would be an interesting fit for the Pats as a do-it-all linebacker. Fellow Buckeye Sonny Styles is a fascinating prospect with an unreal athletic profile.
But I think the most intriguing fit for the Pats in that scenario would be yet another Ohio State defensive standout — safety Caleb Downs. He could help defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr use a big nickel package (similar to what the Seahawks used last season), because he’s an outstanding tackler but also excellent downfield.