4 Former Patriots New England Should Sign for a Reunion in 2025 Free Agency

An important offseason is ahead for Eliot Wolf and the New England Patriots organization. If the team wants to get back to their winning ways, it would be wise for Wolf and Co. to spend their league-leading $127 million in cap space to fill an abundance of holes on this Patriots roster.

One thing this Patriots roster needs desperately is a familiarity with winning. The team is on the right track in terms of the coaching staff, as they brought in 3-time Super Bowl Champion Mike Vrabel and six-time Super Bowl champion Josh McDaniels. Vrabel winning as a player and McDaniels as a coach, both have been able to win at he highest level with the Patriots organization.

If the Patriots want to recapture some of that success from years past, it may be a good idea to surround the locker room with players who have won in New England as the team looks to record its first winning season since 2021.

Within a long list of former Patriots on the free agent market this offseason, some names stand out more than the others, as they could make an immediate impact during their second stint in Foxborough.

1. Brandin Cooks, WR

The 31-year-old Cooks has spent time with the Rams, Texans, and Cowboys since playing one season for the Patriots in 2017. One of the NFL's more underrated receivers over the past decade, Cooks has recorded 1,000 receiving yards in more than half of his 11 NFL seasons.

In his lone season with the Patriots, Cooks put up a 65-1082-7 stat line, as his last game in New England ended with a Super Bowl loss to the Eagles. Cooks suffered a head injury in the first half of that game and would not return.

Looking at the Patriots' receiving room currently, they are in need of a veteran like Cooks. He's familiar with Josh McDaniels and his offensive scheme and would also provide mentorship toward young Patriots receivers Ja'Lynn Polk, Kayshon Boutte, and Demario Douglas.

In 2024, Cooks battled a knee infection that sidelined him for seven games. In ten games for the Cowboys, he recorded 26 receptions, 259 yards, and three touchdowns.

Two seasons ago, with a healthy Dak Prescott, Cooks recorded 657 receiving yards and eight touchdowns as the Cowboys had one the NFL's best passing offenses.

Although Cooks may have lost a step from previous years, he would still be a consistent contributor for a New England receiving core that ranks among the NFL's worst. The Stockton, CA native would provide Drake Maye with a veteran pass-catcher outside of Hunter Henry and Kendrick Bourne.

While it's not an AJ Brown or DK Metcalf-type acquisition, it would allow the Patriots to improve one of their weakest positions without having to break the bank. New England also holds nine draft picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, which they could use to address the receiver position.

Bringing Cooks in on a one-year "prove it" deal would help accelerate the growth of Drake Maye while giving the Patriots a reliable receiver who's proven he can produce in any situation throughout his career.

2. Adam Butler, DT

The 30-year-old Butler spent the first four years of his career with the Patriots, signing with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2017.

In four seasons with the Patriots, Butler recorded a total of 15 sacks as a depth piece on New England's defensive line. When Butler hit free agency in 2021, he stayed in the AFC East, signing with the Miami Dolphins.

After his one-year stint with Miami, Butler signed a future/reserve contract with Las Vegas and has shined with the Raiders over the past two seasons.

As a member of the Las Vegas Raiders, Butler had the best season of his 7-year career in 2024. Playing 77% of defensive snaps, the Duncanville, TX native recorded 65 total tackles, 8 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks for the Raiders this past season. His 31 pressures ranked 35th out of 219 eligible interior defensive linemen, according to PFF.

One huge priority for Mike Vrabel in his first offseason is to solidify the trenches, as building the offensive and defensive lines will allow the team to excel at the line of scrimmage. The Patriots ranked last in sacks as a team this past season, as well as bottom ten in multiple other defensive categories.

Whenever the Patriots needed to pressure the quarterback or stop the run on crucial downs, they weren't able to. Adding an interior presence like Butler would help to bolster the group up front.

Butler would slot in nicely alongside Christian Barmore and Keion White as the Patriots will look to establish a group that opposing quarterbacks will fear once again.

In terms of a reunion with New England, Butler seems excited about a potential return to Las Vegas. He spoke with Las Vegas Raiders beat writer Hondo Carpenter about his future and what playing for the Raiders means to him.

"It really would be a dream come true…. I love the team, I love the organization, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else."

Adam Butler

If the Patriots were to have any interest in Butler, they would have to pry him away from Las Vegas. Having the ability to overpay a little for a player, as the Patriots do with the most cap space in the league, is a good sign for New England.

The Patriots have many avenues to improve their defensive line this offseason, and a reunion with Butler is one move that could happen as the free agency period starts to heat up. Other notable defensive line free agents include Milton Williams, B.J Hill and D.J. Jones.

3. Elandon Roberts, LB

The former Patriots, Dolphins, and Steelers linebacker is hitting the open market this offseason at age 30. A sixth-round pick by New England in 2016, Roberts played his first four NFL seasons with the Patriots on a defense that was among the NFL's best during that time frame.

Now entering Year 9 of his career, Roberts had his best season to date with the Dolphins in 2022, recording 4.5 sacks and over 100 total tackles.

Looking at the Patriots' linebacking core, there are question marks heading into the offseason. Ja'Whaun Bentley missed most of the 2024 season with a torn pec, Jahlani Tavai was a below-average linebacker, according to PFF, Christian Elliss is a pending free agent, and the team just released Sione Takitaki.

Bringing in Roberts on a low-risk deal would work wonders for the Patriots linebacker core as the team enters its first season with Terrell Williams as defensive coordinator. While Bill Belichick is gone, Mike Vrabel still raves about hard-nosed players like Roberts.

Last season with the Steelers, Roberts received a 77.2 PFF grade, ranking 22nd out of 189 eligible linebackers.

From the linebacker position, Roberts excels at stopping the run, something the Patriots struggled to do all of last season. Roberts would become another leader on a defense that looked misguided in 2024.

Considering the Patriots don't have talent at linebacker like Pittsburgh does, Roberts would see an increased role in New England on early downs and short-yardage situations.

Roberts was a 2-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots, and bringing him back this offseason would instill more winning culture in the Patriots locker room from day one.

4. Nick Folk, K

The 40-year-old Nick Folk was quietly one of the NFL's best kickers for the Tennessee Titans this past season.

The season Nick Folk had was remarkable, helping the lowly Titans offense capitalize in opponent territory all year long. While Tennessee wasn't in striking distance often, Folk made the most of every opportunity.

In year 17, Folk missed just one field goal, going 21-22 (95.5%) for the Titans. 6 for 6 on 50+ yard field goals in one of the most accurate seasons from a kicker of all time. To top it off, Folk didn't miss a single extra point attempt in 2024, going 25-25.

Trading Folk has come back to bite New England far worse than expected, and the kicking woes of 2024 may have been a sign to push forth a Folk reunion.

While the Patriots were bad in a lot of different areas last season, the kicking game certainly was one of the worst parts. Patriots kicker Joey Slye went 26-33 (78.8%) on field goals in a forgetful season, as a lot of points were left off the board when successful drives were hard to come by for Drake Maye and the Patriots offense. Slye is a free agent this offseason.

One highlight from Slye came when he hit a 63-yard field goal against the 49ers in Week 4, setting a Patriots team record for the longest field goal make.

If the Patriots want to become a better football team in 2025, they need to capitalize when in opposing territory more often. While the offense can only improve after last season, kicking woes can cost (or win) teams games.

While Folk's stellar performance in 2024 could leave a few kicker-needy teams in the mix to sign him, the Patriots should definitely be one of the teams inquiring after back-to-back seasons with kicking issues.

More New England Patriots news and rumors: