Patriots' 2024 Free-Agent Big Board, Top Players to Target
The New England Patriots must undergo an offensive overhaul in the offseason.
The Patriots could lose Kendrick Bourne, Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki and Ezekiel Elliott at the offensive skill positions in free agency.
A case could be made to move on from all of those players to refresh a unit with the $70 million in estimated salary cap space that the team possesses, per Spotrac.
New England can address at least one of its offensive needs with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
The team's direction at the top of the draft could affect how it approaches free agency.
If the Patriots are in love with Jayden Daniels, they could select the LSU quarterback at No. 3 and build the offense around him with free-agent additions.
They could take Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 3 to have the wide receiver star of the next decade partnered with a new quarterback.
New England could also play it safe and land the draft's top offensive tackle, but that seems like a stretch given the skill position talent in the draft class.
But just one top-tier prospect will not flip the Patriots from worst in the AFC East to a playoff spot, which is why they must be wise with their free-agent decisions.
Free Agent Big Board
1 of 3
1. WR Mike Evans
2. WR Tee Higgins
3. WR Michael Pittman Jr.
4. WR Calvin Ridley
5. OT Tyron Smith
6. TE Dalton Schultz
7. OT Jonah Williams
8. TE Noah Fant
9. WR Darnell Mooney
10. RB Saquon Barkley
Mike Evans
2 of 3
The Patriots struck out in their previous attempts to land a No. 1 wide receiver in free agency.
They could go the draft route and land Harrison at No. 3, but they should at least take a big swing at Mike Evans in free agency.
Evans is the most reliable pass-catcher on the free-agent market. He reached the 1,000-yard mark in each of his 10 seasons and he produced 13 or 14 touchdowns in three of the last four seasons.
Harrison could reach that level one day, but right now, the Patriots need proven consistency at wide receiver, and that could lead to taking a shot at Evans.
A potential Evans signing would then allow the Patriots to either go after a quarterback or offensive tackle with the No. 3 pick.
Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe do not appear to be long-term answers under center and the Patriots may have to replace Trent Brown and Mike Onwenu this offseason because of free agency.
The wise choice may be to go after a proven No. 1 wide out to pair with a rookie quarterback in Daniels to reboot the franchise.
Of course, the Patriots could go the opposite route and land a veteran quarterback, but that would come at a much larger cost given the contracts at the position.
Tee Higgins
3 of 3
Tee Higgins has been injured more than Evans, but he is younger and could be a foundational roster piece for five-to-seven years.
The Cincinnati Bengals wide out produced a pair of 1,000-yard seasons already in his four-year career. He also had 908 yards in his rookie campaign.
The Bengals can't pay every one of their stars and Higgins may be the odd man out when it comes to contract extensions.
Cincinnati could use the franchise tag on Higgins, but if he hits full free agency, the Patriots need to take a swing.
New England failed with the JuJu Smith-Schuster and DeVante Parker experiments, so that may lead to the franchise going after a younger wide receiver option compared to Evans.
Higgins has every physical trait that the current Patriots wide receivers lack and he would be a tremendous No. 1 target for whomever takes over at quarterback at the start of the Jerod Mayo era.
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