As the New England Patriots undergo their second offseason with head coach Mike Vrabel, some important roster decisions must be made as they take the next steps following their Super Bowl appearance. One of those decisions will be whether to re-sign starting safety Jaylinn Hawkins or not after having a career year.
Hawkins started in every game he played (15), completing the fifth-most tackles on the team (71), led in interceptions (4), had the fourth-most pass deflections (6), the seventh-most QB hits (5), and he had the eighth-most sacks (1.5). He also had one forced fumble, which I find noteworthy because he’s the only starting defensive back to do that last season.
As the starting safety, Hawkins played on 838 defensive snaps (82.2%), which was the third-most on the team in 2025. He’s been an important player over the last two seasons, one that shouldn’t be lost to free agency. It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first go-around with contracts between Hawkins and the Patriots, as he’s previously been signed to two one-year free agent deals over the last two years.
Patriots Won't Repeat History with Jaylinn Hawkins in Free Agency
This time should be different, considering it’s the first offseason after a full season with Vrabel being the head coach, during which Hawkins showcased himself as a legitimate starting safety for the Patriots.
In pass coverage, he ranked eighth-best in the NFL by Pro Football Focus with a grade of 79.0. Against the run, Hawkins ranked as the third-best in the NFL with an 86.1 grade by PFF.
Furthermore, Hawkins finished 2025 with the best completion percentage (57.1%), the most QB knockdowns (3), pressures (6), the least amount of yards (273), and the lowest QB rating (71.2) of any defensive back on the Patriots last season. This type of production from the safety position is too invaluable for the Patriots to lose after a rebuilding season that went all the way to the Super Bowl.
Hawkins showcased himself as a great fit at safety and is right in the prime of his career at 29 years old. He was also a great fit next to Craig Woodson, who just finished his rookie season as a fourth-round pick out of Cal, where he and Hawkins were teammates for a year back in college.
As a rookie, Woodson led the Patriots in defensive snaps (950) for 93.2%, and he’s clearly going to be the future of New England’s defensive secondary. Having Woodson play next to Hawkins for another season to build off of their shared success as starting safeties can only be a good thing for the team moving forward.
Patriots Have Options to Retain Hawkins
The Patriots will see four defensive starters become free agents next month, all of whom played an essential role in New England getting to the Super Bowl last year. They have over $40 million in cap space this offseason and will look to be big spenders again as Vrabel heads into Year 2 of his time with the franchise.
Although the Patriots are allowing Hawkins to test the market in free agency, they should consider giving him the franchise tag if they’re unable to agree on a long-term deal. According to Spotrac, the franchise tag value for a safety in 2026 will be $20,758,000. It would be another one-year deal for Hawkins, but it would be a significant pay increase, one of the highest in his six-year career.
It’s worth mentioning that the deadline for a team to use the franchise tag is 4 p.m. ET on March 3, which ends a two-week period that began on Feb. 17.
Patriots de facto general manager Eliot Wolf said this week that Hawkins is a player that they’d like to have back if it plays out that way.
“Obviously, Hawkins is a free agent. And he’s earned the opportunity to see what’s out there, but he’s certainly someone that we would welcome back," Wolf said.
Hawkins is a valuable piece to the puzzle, there’s no doubt about it. Whether it’s re-signing him to a contract or using the franchise tag, retaining him should be a priority this offseason as New England continues to build a defense that can remain consistent and strong in Vrabel’s second year of building his program.