3 Patriots on the Chopping Block After New Defensive Coordinator Hire

2. Deatrich Wise Jr.

Unlike Godchaux, the 30-year-old Wise is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year starts in March.

The Patriots’ front office and coaches will have to decide whether to bring back Wise Jr., one of the lone bright spots on the defense this season, or pursue a younger pass rusher in free agency or the NFL draft.

Wise was tied with second-year defensive lineman Keion White for the team lead in sacks with five. That’s nothing to be overly excited about, but for a defensive unit that was ranked dead last in sacks someone had to step up.

The veteran defensive end also had 29 combined tackles, 12 QB pressures, eight quarterback hits, and five tackles for loss, despite only starting in five out of 16 games this season.  

The former fourth-round pick wasn’t great at stopping the run as he had a 54.8 run defense grade on PFF (ranked 151st out of 211-qualified edge rushers) – a noticeable trend for New England defense.

However, Wise Jr. had a 63.6 pass-rush grade (ranked 88th among 211 qualified EDGEs), which isn’t bad for a team that struggled to bring the QB down. Therefore, the Patriots could bring Wise back at a cheaper rate than his first contract extension (four-year, $22 million).

Or they could spend the money in free agency, which they didn’t do last year, and invest in the defensive line. Williams saw up close and personal in Detroit this season, what you can do if you are good in the trenches on both the offensive and defensive lines. The Patriots struggled with that in 2024 and found themselves as one of the worst teams in the league.