5 Patriots Free Agents Who Won't Want to Return for 2024

To say the 2023 season has been rough for the New England Patriots would be the understatement of the year. This has been not just a bad campaign, but it's really raised significant questions about the future of the Patriots as an organization and who is actually going to be part of it going forward.

With that being said, I think when you look at the projected 2024 free agents for the Pats, you can almost guarantee that the majority of the big names are going to be gone.

But which pending free agents are most likely to leave for other teams in 2024? There are some in-house players the Patriots would like to keep like Mike Onwenu, Kyle Dugger, and Josh Uche. That probably holds true no matter if the team changes coaching staffs or not.

But which New England Patriots players won't return for 2024? Let's look at five.

1. Hunter Henry, TE

The New England Patriots made a couple of big splashes in the 2021 offseason when they signed both Hunter Henry away from the Chargers as well as Jonnu Smith away from the Titans. Those two guys were supposed to be the focal points of the passing game for young Mac Jones and they were, at least for a year. Henry, in particular, thrived in his first year with the Patriots, racking up over 600 receiving yards and 9 touchdown catches.

It was a career year for him and he definitely made the Patriots look good for reeling him in during a year in which they spent an abnormal amount of money on free agents.

But now, the contract is coming to an end, and Hunter Henry will likely want to leave for greener pastures. The Patriots' offense right now is not a spot where you want to invest some of your prime years, and I think Henry will get some good offers to leave New England in the offseason.

And I don't think they're going to put up much of a fight.