The New England Patriots are a team in transition heading into the 2024 season. This is Jerod Mayo's show now, and he's got himself a brand-new franchise quarterback in Drake Maye. Even though it's a new era for Patriots football, the theme of the 2024 offseason hasn't exactly been "out with the old". The Patriots brought back a lot of players this offseason, including a few guys on pretty substantial contracts.
Now that the 2024 NFL Draft is over and the offseason program is on the near horizon, there could be a number of follow-up moves the Patriots could be looking to make.
This roster will still look quite a bit different between now and opening weekend. Let's take a look at a number of players who could be on the chopping block, whether it's for financial reasons or otherwise.
1. Calvin Anderson, OT
As inspirational as Calvin Anderson's return to the football field is going to be (had a life-threatening case of Malaria last year), it would almost be shocking if his return officially ended up happening with the New England Patriots.
The Patriots have been making alternate plans at the offensive tackle position all offseason after signing Anderson in free agency in 2023.
The Patriots brought back Mike Onwenu on a big-money deal. They made a trade for Vikings swingman Vederian Lowe. They used a third-round pick on former TCU offensive tackle Caedan Wallace. They signed Chukwuma Okorafor in free agency.
It's clear that this Patriots team is making other plans without Anderson this offseason. It would be a shock if he wasn't on the chopping block heading into OTAs, especially after missing so much time last year.
2. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR
At this point, we may just be waiting for the inevitable when it comes to JuJu Smith-Schuster. Smith-Schuster hasn't been good since his early years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and just like a toothpaste tube that's about empty, it looks like the Kansas City Chiefs may have squeezed the last bit that was left.
Smith-Schuster seems a lot more focused on things outside of football, and as bad as New England's offense was as a whole last year, Smith-Schuster was worse. He was targeted 47 times and wound up catching just 29 passes with one touchdown.
Those numbers are staggering when you consider that Smith-Schuster signed a deal in the offseason for $25 million over three seasons, including $16 million in guarantees. On the surface, you might assume that type of deal would stick the Patriots with Smith-Schuster for at least another season, but there would be no reason to deal with that lack of production and perhaps the Broncos' decision to move on from Russell Wilson this offseason could motivate teams like the Patriots to just eat the dead money with a guy like Smith-Schuster.
It might be better than having dead weight on the roster and having a guy steal snaps from young players who might actually be part of your franchise's future.
3. Bailey Zappe, QB
Bailey Zappe got an opportunity to show his stuff as a starter for the Patriots the last couple of years, and he's largely impressed.
Although the Patriots appear to be moving on, Zappe should get a shot elsewhere in the league but we're going to have to wait and see on that one.
The Patriots obviously used their top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on North Carolina star Drake Maye. He's going to be the starter of this team at some point this year (in all likelihood), but if it's not him, it's going to be veteran Jacoby Brissett who signed a free agent contract to return to New England this offseason.
Brissett could be the guy to hold down the fort in 2024 if the Patriots determine that Drake Maye isn't ready, but where Zappe's roster spot is truly in jeopardy is with the addition of Joe Milton late in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Patriots.
Milton comes from Jerod Mayo's alma mater at Tennessee, and has a big arm with tremendous overall talent. Although Zappe brings more experience to the table, the Patriots will almost undoubtedly allow him to go be a QB2 somewhere else when the offseason is all said and done, paving the way for their new trio of quarterbacks to fill the roster.
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