New England Patriots

If New England attempts to reload with another strong free agent class in 2026, these players could become salary cap casualties.


Eliot Wolf and Mike Vrabel will have some roster decisions to make in the coming weeks. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Coming off a Super Bowl appearance and with a relatively young core of stars, the Patriots are poised for a potentially exciting free agency period in 2026. More notable stars will be taking New England seriously as a free agent destination thanks to Drake Maye, Mike Vrabel, and the team’s success in 2025. 

But in order to land one or two marquee free agents – or put together a more complete class of middle ground players as it did last year – the Patriots may have to sever ties with a few of the members of its current roster.

Here are eight possible cut candidates that could help New England create more cap space to chase free agents this spring.

Stefon Diggs

Diggs’s future with the Patriots is far from black and white. On the one hand, his relationship with Maye made him one of the young QB’s favorite targets all season, and Diggs certainly proved he still has plenty left in the tank on the field. On the other hand, his ongoing legal proceedings are well documented, and he’d also provide the most cap space of any player on New England’s roster if cut.

Diggs has a base salary of $20 million on the books for 2026, but only $1.7 million guaranteed. Cutting him would save the Patriots $16.8 million (per OverTheCap).

While Diggs could easily be worth every bit of the $20 million he’s set to make, his unique contract structure also makes him an appealing cut candidate if New England decides its ready to move on.

Some combination of: DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte

The Patriots have a number of other decisions to make in their receiver room this season beyond Diggs. Any combination of Douglas, Hollins, and Boutte could potentially be cut or traded this offseason. It’s highly unlikely that all three would be cut, and it’s also possible that all three remain with New England in 2026.

However, they’re all grouped together because of their similar contract statuses. None of the three have guaranteed money left on their deals, meaning that cutting any of them would save New England between $3 and $4 million in cap space this season. Hollins would save the most ($4 million) and is also the oldest of the three, so he’d seemingly be a more likely candidate to cut.

However, Douglas didn’t seem to have much of a role in New England’s offense in 2025, and adding another receiver through free agency could shrink his role even further in 2026. That could mean his days in Foxborough are numbered.

Boutte’s productive season in 2025 seems to make him the least likely to be cut of these three, however he would be the most enticing trade piece of this group.

Christian barmore

There seem to be mixed sentiments about whether Barmore will be traded or retained this offseason. He’s arguably the least likely cut candidate on the list, but could be involved in a trade as a cap balancer if the Patriots were able to land a premiere edge rusher like Maxx Crosby this offseason.

Still, Barmore has been an effective defensive lineman against both the run and pass, so trading or cutting him seems unlikely unless the return is too good to refuse.

Christian Elliss

The Patriots aren’t incredibly deep at linebacker, and it’s possible they bring back every member of that group for 2026, possibly adding a piece or two through free agency and the draft. 

If they were to make a cut at the position group though, Elliss seems to be the odd man out. Robert Spillane was given a multi-year commitment to be the new leader of that group, while other rotational pieces like Marte Mapu and Jahlani Tavai are on contracts favorable to New England’s cap situation. 

Elliss has a cap number of $8.5 million for 2026, but only $2.25 million guaranteed, so he’d save the Patriots a few million if released. 

Elliss also had a relatively tame 2025 statistically. He recorded 39 solo tackles, 94 total tackles and one forced fumble. He did not record a sack or interception.

Still, he could be kept around in 2026, especially if New England doesn’t re-sign Jack Gibbens, who is set to hit free agency.

Garrett Bradbury

If Bradbury is cut, it’s unlikely that it would occur until training camp. But if Jared Wilson competes for the starting center job in 2026 and wins it, that would make Bradbury a near-lock to be cut. He has no more guaranteed money on his deal and the move would save the Patriots over $5 million.

Bradbury is a veteran presence and it’s probably too soon to make that call before free agency, but he’ll be a name to monitor in August.

Morgan Moses

Moses is in a similar yet opposite position to Bradbury. If he were to be cut, traded, or even retire, it would be more likely to happen earlier in the offseason. The right tackle was a standout in 2025, and if the team wants to retain him, it would be incredibly likely they’d be doing so to keep him as their starter, rather than enter him into a positional battle. 

But if he or New England decides its time to move on, the team would likely want a succession plan in place via free agency or the draft. 

$4.5 million of Moses’s salary is guaranteed for 2026, but the Patriots would still save about $3 million if they were to release him before June 1.

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