The New England Patriots have a ton of important players hitting the open market and it will be interesting to see who New England brings back and who they will let go.
It is time to forget about the 2019 NFL season. It ended roughly for the New England Patriots and there are definitely a lot of questions heading into the season.
One of the major ones is how will New England deal with their free agents. The team has a total of 20 players that will hit the free market. Among some of these players are key players such as Tom Brady, Devin McCourty, Kyle Van Noy, Matthew Slater, and Phillip Dorsett.
Now it is obvious that the New England Patriots can’t bring everyone back. With Bill Belichick leading the way that is even more likely. He is known for cutting players loose even if it doesn’t make sense to fans.
It seems like we will be seeing a different roster next season. If New England wants to improve you will probably see some fresh faces as well.
So let’s take a look at New England’s key players who will be hitting the open market this offseason.
Kyle Van Noy
2019 was quite the year for Kyle Van Noy. He had the best season of his career and will get a major pay raise. That definitely won’t be coming from the Patriots.
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Van Noy racked up 6.5 sacks and 56 total tackles. He was one of New England’s best pass rushers and was a major part of the defense’s success. Still, it is highly unlikely he returns to the Patriots.
If Van Noy is going to stay in New England he would have to give the team a hometown discount. I wouldn’t count on that happening.
Also, I think the Patriots will be better off without Van Noy. He owes all his success to the team because his career turned around once he came to New England.
You can also partially blame Van Noy for the Wild Card loss. Titans players and coaches got bulletin board material when Van Noy said that the Patriots were going on a “revenge tour.” Logan Ryan even talked about Van Noy’s comments after the game.
So don’t expect Kyle Van Noy to be on the Patriots roster next season.
Devin McCourty
The quarterback of the New England Patriots defense is Devin McCourty. He has been the heart and soul of the team and is a leader in the locker room.
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Ever since he made the switch from cornerback to safety, McCourty has performed well. He has done whatever the team has asked of him.
McCourty had a strong season grabbing 5 interceptions as he patrolled the secondary. Clearly, he is still one of the best safeties in the NFL.
Now there were questions if McCourty would finally retire after this season. After the Patriots’ loss, he openly stated that he wasn’t going to retire.
I would expect McCourty to stay with the Patriots. He has become apart of the team’s core group of players. His leadership on and off the field would be missed a ton if he left.
Also, McCourty’s twin brother is still on the team. You would have to think that they would want to stay together and then retire at the same time.
So I expect to see Devin McCourty in a New England Patriots uniform next season
Tom Brady
Right now Tom Brady is a free agent. New England has yet to lock him down with a deal to ensure he spends the rest of his career with the Patriots.
This was a difficult season for Brady. He seemed to struggle to work with his receivers and seemed upset with their performance.
In 2019 we finally saw Brady look old. He just didn’t look the same on the field. Brady finished the season with 4,057 yards and 24 touchdowns. We haven’t seen totals that low since 2007.
Brady is looking for more than a one year deal and wants to be paid relatively well. I don’t think Brady is strapped for cash, but he wants the respect that comes with a larger contract.
For a while, I thought Brady was leaving, but then this Instagram post gave me hope. It seems like Brady has unfinished business in New England.
I think the New England Patriots and Tom Brady will work something out and he will be the quarterback for the team next season.
Matthew Slater
Once again Matthew Slater is a free agent. The special teams phenom signed a 2-year contract before the start of the 2018 season.
Slater might seem easily replaceable, but I think he is an important part of the team. He goes above and beyond and is a great leader in the locker room.
If Slater does want to come back, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was to a 1-year deal. He is definitely getting closer to the end of his career.
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I would expect Slater to play 1 more season and if the Patriots are able to get to the Super Bowl he would then retire.
Players like McCourty and Slater likely would have retired if the Patriots had more success in the playoffs. I guess in a way the Wild Card wakeup might actually help New England.
Fans should expect Matthew Slater to be back with the New England Patriots next season.
Jamie Collins
After struggling with the Cleveland Browns, Jamie Collins got a 2nd chance in New England. The question is will he stay loyal to them or go chase what could be his final big payday.
Collins is now 30 years old. The next contract he signs could be the last of his career.
In 2019, Collins bounced back in a major way. He had the best season of his career racking up 7 sacks, 80 tackles, and 3 forced fumbles.
I would like to see Collins return to the Patriots. He just seems to fit the system so well.
But the Patriots can’t overspend on him. Collins is going to cost a lot more than the $2 million they signed him for.
Ideally, New England would sign him to a 2 or 3-year deal with an average salary of $4 or $5 million. Anything else would be a humongous risk seeing that this season could be a fluke.
As long as it is for the right price Jamie Collins should be back in a Patriots uniform.
Phillip Dorsett
So far Phillip Dorsett’s career with the New England Patriots could only be described as a roller coaster. At times he has made an impact and some big catches but then other times he is completely phased out off the offense.
Sadly this was one of Dorsett’s best seasons. I say sadly because he only had 29 catches for 397 yards. He might have had 5 touchdowns, but this season couldn’t be described as a success for Dorsett.
Now that Dorsett is a free agent I think we will see him leave the Patriots. If they aren’t using him they should let him go.
New England’s wide receivers were the weakest position group by far this season. They need to start fresh.
New England needs to ensure that N’Keal Harry can grow and take over Julian Edelman’s spot as the top wide receiver on the depth chart in a few years.
The best thing for both Dorsett and New England is for the sides to go separate ways.