The New England Patriots were one of the best stories in the NFL during the 2025 season, capping Mike Vrabel's first season as the team's head coach with a trip to Super Bowl LX. While they ultimately fell short, there was a lot to be pleased with going into the offseason, including the postseason play from a former seventh-round pick.
Defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga, who is coming off his first season in New England, achieved the second-most tackles (24) in either of his five NFL seasons, adding two passes defended and three stuffs. He found his most success during New England's postseason run, adding seven more tackles and his only sack of the season in the Divisional Round win over the Houston Texans.
Despite that play to close out the season, there is no guarantee that Tonga returns to the Patriots. According to MassLive's Mark Daniels, the two sides were close to a contract extension before the playoffs, but the deal fell apart at the last minute and never materialized. Now, the price has only gone up after the success he had in the postseason, far ahead of what the Patriots initially wanted.
New England's Inability to Extend Khyiris Tonga by Now Could Come Back to Bite Them
Tonga only signed a one-year, $2.1 million deal with the Patriots before the 2025 season. However, it is safe to say his price has certainly increased since then, which should lead other teams to pursue him after his strong postseason run. According to Over the Cap, the Patriots have $41 million in cap space, so they definitely could still be in the running for Tonga if they truly feel like he is a good fit.
After all, the offseason is still in its early stages, so the Patriots are not finished negotiating with Tonga. For someone who started a career-high eight games for them last season and had 24 tackles and two quarterback hits, in addition to also playing fullback, Tonga brought a lot to the franchise and proved why he is worthy of an extension.
Spotrac currently projects that Tonga will earn a two-year, $3.1 million deal in free agency, which would represent a sizable increase from his time with New England, once again proving the value of putting good tape out on the field for teams to see.
Another pending free agent for the Patriots is linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson, who had 7.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, two passes defended, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in 2025. If the Patriots choose to let him go, their focus may turn to who performs well at this weekend's scouting combine in Indianapolis or the upcoming draft, where they are scheduled to have 11 picks. Still, losing someone like Chaisson or Tonga after the breakout season that he had would not be ideal for the NFL's third-ranked scoring defense from last season (17.9 PPG).
The Patriots were nowhere near the Seattle Seahawks' defensive level, but they certainly held their own in 2025. While pass protection was ultimately one major area of concern throughout the season, the defense did more than enough to keep this team afloat throughout its postseason run. There may be key free agents or draft picks out there, but losing some of its most important players from 2025 would be tough to overcome.
Of course, there is still time for New England to rework a new deal for Tonga, especially considering the cap space it is projected to have. However, the fact that the Patriots have yet to put anything together could come back to bite them soon, as more suitors potentially come on board for Tonga and are willing to pay up for him and take that chance.