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.
2. Ezekiel Elliott, RB
Let's go after some low-hanging fruit, shall we?
The New England Patriots made Ezekiel Elliott their RB2 after he sat in 2023 free agency for the longest time. There was a point there where many were wondering if Elliott was going to get a deal at all before the regular season, and then the Patriots swooped in and gave him $3 million.
Although that's a pretty good value, I don't think Elliott is going to be chomping at the bit to return to the Patriots in 2024. I think he took the offer they had on the table simply because it was the best he was going to get, and I don't know if either of these two sides are going to want to work together again in 2024 barring a major turnaround. Elliott's 34.3 rushing yards per game is the lowest number of his entire NFL career.
3. Mike Gesicki, TE
Here's a fair question to ask at this point -- Is Mike Gesicki even a good player?
He had a couple of good seasons with over 700 receiving yards in 2020 and 2021, but Gesicki certainly hasn't been a difference-maker for the Patriots in 2023, catching 21 passes for just 182 yards and one touchdown (a game-winner, to be fair) this season.
Gesicki just turned 28, so I'm sure he'll get some offers in the offseason, but I don't think he's going to be back in New England.
4. Trent Brown, OT
Trent Brown has been a really solid NFL tackle when he's been able to stay healthy, but that unfortunately has been tough for him to do at times in his NFL career. He's been limited to eight games so far in the 2023 season with an ankle injury, and depending on where the Patriots fall in the 2024 NFL Draft, they could be looking at selecting his potential long-term replacement.
I think that an argument could be made for Brown to be one of New England's bigger priorities to re-sign in the 2024 offseason but depending on what happens with Mike Onwenu and the 2024 NFL Draft, Brown might end up being the odd man out.
5. Anfernee Jennings, EDGE
The Patriots selected Anfernee Jennings with the 87th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but he missed the entire 2021 season and has unfortunately only racked up 3.0 sacks in his NFL career so far. Even if you say that sacks aren't the only way to measure pass rush productivity, Jennings has just eight QB hits and 19 pressures in 39 career games (to this point).
With Josh Uche also hitting free agency, and Matthew Judon's contract up in 2025, the Patriots might let Anfernee Jennings walk. You never know when a guy like this could come back on a one-year deal, but he might need a new situation to thrive.
In other Patriots news: