After coming up short against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 60, the New England Patriots will likely be looking to bolster a couple of positions for next season in free agency and the 2026 NFL draft.
One of those positions that will be on de facto general manager Eliot Wolf and head coach Mike Vrabel’s checklist is the edge rusher, as that group exceeded expectations this season thanks to the play of K’Lavon Chaisson and Harold Landry III. Chaisson racked up career-highs across the board with 23 pressures, 18 quarterback hits, 10 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks.
Meanwhile, Landry had 23 QB pressures, 19 quarterback hits, 10 tackles for loss, and eight sacks, despite battling a knee injury towards the end of the season. Chaisson is scheduled to become a free agent in the coming weeks after his breakout year, so it's not guaranteed that he comes back.
Therefore, if another team gives the duo a massive payday, the Patriots will need to find his replacement as soon as possible. This is where ex-Miami Dolphins pass rusher Jaelan Phillips comes into play
Jaelan Phillips Would Be Perfect Addition to Patriots’ Pass Rush Unit
The Patriots are familiar with Phillips, who spent the first five-plus seasons of his career with the Dolphins. During his Miami tenure, Phillips battled injuries, but was still a game-wrecker and a guy you had to gameplan for when he was on the field.
The former first-round pick recorded 61 quarterback hits, 28 tackles for loss, and 26 sacks. With that in mind, the Patriots were reportedly interested in Phillips before the trade deadline this past season, per Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal.
However, as expected, the Dolphins did not trade Phillips to their division rival. Instead, Miami traded Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick.
If the Patriots got Phillips at the deadline, that would’ve made their defensive line much more fierce off the edge, to go along with the production from the interior D-line (Milton Williams and Christian Barmore).
Phillips didn’t make a huge impact with the Eagles, as he only had 17 QB pressures, seven QB hits, four pass deflections, four tackles for loss, two sacks, and a forced fumble across eight games in Philadelphia.
However, that won’t stop teams from trying to sign him in free agency to a multi-year deal. Spotrac projects Phillips’ calculated market value at a three-year, $52 million deal ($17.3M), which might be too expensive for the Eagles’ wallet, who are only projected to have $18.2 million in cap space, per OverTheCap.
Meanwhile, OTC has the Patriots estimated to have $40.5 million in cap space, which is more than enough to bring aboard Phillips. The Patriots spent a lot of money to upgrade their defense last offseason, and it paid off in more ways than one. Perhaps history will repeat itself with even better results.
Heading into free agency this year, the Patriots can help lightning strike twice by making some tweaks and possibly a big splash with Phillips.