Pats off-season recap, and what moves are next?

After months of wait and anticipation AJ Brown is now officially a New England Patriot. The 3 time All-Pro wideout was traded to the Patriots in exchange for a 2028 first round pick and 2027 fifth round pick.

For comparison, Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was traded to the Broncos in exchange for a 2026 first round pick, 2026 third round pick, and a 2026 fourth round pick swap. Brown is the much more proven receiver, while still being less than 2 years older than Waddle.

With Brown having heavy interest in joining the Patriots and reuniting with Coach Vrabel, and the Patriots having everything a receiver room that you could need except for a #1 receiver, it made too much sense for the Patriots to pull the trigger on this deal.

Heading into the 2026 off-season, the Patriots had several needs that they needed to address, with the main ones being EDGE, offensive lineman, and receiver.

The Patriots addressed edge by signing Ravens EDGE Dre’Mont Jones to a three year, $36.5 million deal (up to $39.5 mil) in free agency, along with trading up and drafting Illinois EDGE Gabe Jacas with the 55th pick in the 2026 second round.

For receiver, the Pats signed Packers wideout Romeo Doubs to a four year, $68 million deal. (up to $80 mil) There were concerns in Romeo Doubs’ potential as a legit #1 receiver on the Pats, but with them trading for AJ Brown this eliminates those concerns.

As for offensive lineman, the Patriots signed Jets left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker to a three year, $42 million deal. (up to $48 mil) Patriots were also looking to add a potential replacement for the aging right tackle Morgan Moses. They had Utah right tackle Caleb Lomu on their radar and made sure to secure him by trading up and selecting him with the 28th pick in the 2026 first round.

While EDGE, offensive lineman, and receiver were the biggest needs this off-season, tight end and safety were positions that also needed to be addressed this off-season.

The Patriots did lose safety Jaylinn Hawkins to the Ravens in free agency but signed all-pro Bears safety Kevin Byard III to a one year, $7 million deal. (up to $9 mil) Byard could very well have a productive season with the Pats, but with him soon turning 33 and on a one year deal, it makes a lot of sense for the Patriots to consider finding a long-term replacement for him in the 2027 NFL draft.

As for the tight end position, the Patriots lost Austin Hooper in free agency and signed tight end Julian Hill to a three year, $15 million deal. With Hunter Henry entering the final year of his contract, the Patriots selected Notre Dame tight end Eli Raridon with the 95th pick in the 2026 3rd round. At 6’7, 250 pounds, Raridon has shown the ability to be an athletic receiving threat while also being a physical and tough, blocking tight end.

With a season-ending injury to Julian Hill, Raridon should be in position to get significant reps and be the clear cut TE2 behind Henry. If Raridon can show serious promise this season, the Patriots might’ve found their Hunter Henry replacement and tight end of the future.

So what moves can the Patriots still realistically make?

With Gabe Jacas being a rookie and Dre’Mont Jones’ struggle to secure sacks the Patriots could explore making an immediate upgrade at EDGE in a trade or free agency.

For a trade, the 2 names that the Patriots could target are Cardinals EDGE Josh Sweat and Giants EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Both would have around a $15 mil cap hit on the Patriots in 2026, but with Sweat having more production and under a long-term contract he would very likely cost more in a trade. With Giants receiver Malik Nabers being injured, the Patriots could throw in receiver Kayshon Boutte as the center piece in a Kayvon Thibodeaux trade.

Sweat and Thibodeaux are likely among the realistic top names to target in a trade, but if the Patriots aren’t willing to meet those teams’ asking prices, then they should consider signing edge Joey Bosa to a one-year, $10 mil deal.

A position that probably hasn’t been addressed enough is linebacker. The Patriots defense is still missing an off-ball linebacker next to Robert Spillane who’s capable of covering the pass, especially on third down situations.

With that being said, a sneaky addition for the Patriots could be former Bills linebacker Matt Milano. It’s no secret that he had a down year and has a concerning injury history. A 1 year, sub-$10 million deal would be a low-risk, medium-high reward for the Patriots.