HEADLINES

New England Patriots News & Rumors

Patriots To Release LB Ja’Whaun Bentley

March 28th, 2025 at 11:15am CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots have made some linebacker payments this offseason, adding Robert Spillane and Jack Gibbens and matching the Raiders’ Christian Elliss offer sheet. One of their holdovers will be an odd man out.

Ja’Whaun Bentley is expected to be released Friday, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss tweets. Bentley is under contract for one more season; the Pats would see $4.35MM in cap savings by moving on. Bentley, 28, has started 68 games in New England. The three-time team captain tweeted a goodbye message Friday.

This release comes weeks after the Pats did not re-sign Jonathan Jones. With David Andrews gone as well, Patriots ties to their Super Bowl teams — among non-specialists, that is — are done. Deatrich Wise signed with the Commanders earlier this month. While Bentley has been a Patriot since 2018, he also missed 15 games last season due to injury. That will not give the second-level Pats mainstay much momentum going into free agency.

Attached to a two-year, $13.5MM extension, Bentley suffered a torn pec in Week 2 of last season. This marked the former fifth-round find’s second NFL season with three games or fewer; Bentley went down three games into his rookie season as well. The Pats had used Bentley as a two-game starter that year, providing a sign of stability to come. Bentley started 62 games from 2020-23, earning the extension during Bill Belichick‘s final year in charge.

Set to turn 29 before the 2025 season begins, Bentley will be an interesting free agency option for LB-needy teams. He posted three straight seasons with at least 109 tackles. This stretch also included quality work as a blitzer. The Purdue alum totaled three sacks in 2022 and 4.5 in 2023. He also forced three fumbles in 2021, helping the Pats to the playoffs during a season in which Pro Football Focus ranked Bentley eighth among off-ball linebackers. Belichick signed off on two Bentley extensions, previously giving him a two-year, $6MM deal.

Only long snapper Joe Cardona remains from New England’s Super Bowl teams. Mike Vrabel has begun to reshape the roster, with he and Eliot Wolf making several additions in free agency. Gibbens and EDGE Harold Landry followed Vrabel from Tennessee, while Spillane signed a three-year, $33MM deal. The Patriots, who released Sione Takitaki earlier this offseason, still have 2024 extension recipient Jahlani Tavai and ex-Titans LB Monty Rice at the position.

Patriots Showed Interest In LT Cam Robinson

March 26th, 2025 at 9:54am CST by Sam Robinson

Using a few options at left tackle last season, the Patriots have not yet filled that post this year. The team did not have a chance to make a true pitch to Alaric Jackson or Ronnie Stanley, as both of whom re-signed with their respective teams (the Rams and Ravens) before the legal tampering period. A pursuit of Dan Moore Jr. also ended with a big-ticket Titans deal.

It would stand to reason the Pats also looked into Cam Robinson, who lingered in free agency for several days. New offensive line coach Doug Marrone was also in position as Jaguars HC when the team drafted Robinson (in the 2017 second round). Marrone’s new team did indeed show interest in Robinson, as ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss indicates the Pats were in that mix.

However, the eight-year left tackle’s market settled with a one-year Texans agreement. Robinson signed with Houston on a one-year deal believed to include $12MM in base value and up to $14.5MM in max value. While Marrone’s presence and the Patriots’ need could have been a draw for Robinson, Reiss adds he preferred the Texans.

Linked to Stanley and Jackson before free agency and having almost definitely upped Moore’s market past $20MM per year, the Patriots certainly could have attempted to outmuscle the Texans for Robinson. They entered free agency with the most cap space and still sit on the NFL’s top number. Not doing so points to the team being fairly confident it can address its need for a blindside starter in the draft.

Our No. 5 overall free agent, Robinson has made 101 career starts. His value stemmed from the Jaguars and Vikings allowing a free agency trek, something that did not come to fruition for peers Dion Dawkins, Taylor Decker and Garett Bolles. Each of those players, coming into the league between the 2016 and ’17 drafts, signed second extensions to stay with their respective teams last year. The Jaguars did not extend Robinson, instead trading their longtime LT to the Vikings — as Christian Darrisaw insurance — and then paying Walker Little. Jacksonville allowing Trent Baalke to extend Little, shaping their LT plan for the future, and then firing him not long after marked a strange sequence. The team still let Robinson go in a pick-swap trade at the 2024 deadline.

A zero-time Pro Bowler, Robinson missed time due to injuries from 2022-23 and served a PED suspension in the latter season. However, he was on the field for 18 games (counting the Vikings’ wild-card cameo) last season. Pro Football Focus ranked the Alabama alum 53rd among tackle regulars last season, though the advanced metrics site viewed him as a slightly better option (between Nos. 44-48) from 2021-23. That came after a four-season stretch in which Marrone coached him in Jacksonville. Not wowing in terms of pass block win rate in 2024, either, Robinson will have a chance to set a new market in 2026 — barring a Texans extension.

The Pats would have the option to draft LSU’s Will Campbell at No. 4 overall, but the high-end prospect does not quite check in on the level Joe Alt did to top last year’s tackle contingent. Campbell’s arm measurement at the Combine (32 5/8 inches) also generated concern about his tackle viability in the pros.

NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah also ranks Missouri’s Armand Membou 11th on his latest big board, but if the Pats have Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter available at No. 4, they likely table their tackle need to Round 2 and beyond. The team adding Stefon Diggs on Tuesday lessens the need to add a receiver in the first two rounds as well. Membou, however, came up as a player drawing Pats interest recently.

Still rostering Vederian Lowe, 2024 third-round pick Caedan Wallace and waiver claim Demontrey Jacobs at tackle, the Pats have Morgan Moses ready to be a right tackle stopgap. Likely Hall of Famer Tyron Smith remains available, as does former Browns first-rounder Jedrick Wills. It would not surprise to see the Patriots linked to either as insurance, but after no Robinson-Marrone reunion took place, the team is still on the hunt to find a long-term answer at this high-profile spot.

Draft Rumors: Visits, Green, Nolen, RBs

March 25th, 2025 at 9:58pm CST by Ely Allen

As the 2025 NFL Draft continues to draw nigh, teams are beginning to do their due diligence on each prospect, including hosting several for visits.

A perfect example of this saw the Saints host a bevy of Longhorns for a dinner last night, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. The list of Texas prospects included possible first-rounders cornerback Jahdae Barron and wide receiver Matthew Golden as well as defensive tackle Vernon Broughton and quarterback Quinn Ewers.

The Saints weren’t the only team to spend time with Ewers yesterday, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. Both the Jets and Raiders sent staffers to meet with the 22-year-old in Austin prior to the team’s pro day. Ewers has several visits planned following today’s pro day, as well, including meetings with the Cowboys, Colts, and Raiders, again, in early April.

Another potential Longhorn first-rounder, wide receiver Isaiah Bond, has also reportedly set up a number of visits following today’s pro day, per CJ Vogel of On Texas Football. Bond apparently has top-30 visits scheduled in the next month with the Falcons, Bears, Packers, and Rams.

Here are some more rumors concerning the 2025 NFL Draft:

  • East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. is making the rounds, as well. After previously meeting with New Orleans, Revel reportedly visited the Texans on Friday, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Revel is attempting to make a speedy recovery from a torn ACL that ended his final collegiate season after only three games. He’s reportedly on track to be ready to return in time for training camp.
  • One of Revel’s top competitors at the position in this year’s class, Michigan cornerback Will Johnson, is set to meet with the Raiders, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Johnson has already met with the Falcons and reportedly met with the Cardinals already, as well.
  • Already having met with the Saints and Falcons, Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. is set to meet with several other franchises, per Wilson. One of the top tackle options in the class, Conerly has visits planned with the Texans, Eagles, Commanders, Bengals, and Bears. Wilson adds that, at the NFL Scouting Combine, Conerly already formerly met with the Texans, Jets, Titans, Patriots, Raiders, Commanders, and 49ers.
  • Marshall’s pro day garnered a few more visitors than usual today, thanks to the presence of potential first-round pass rusher Mike Green. According to Tony Pauline of sportskeeda, while several teams sent personnel to check Green out, the Falcons sent most of their front office as well as head coach Raheem Morris. Pauline adds that the Commanders also held a significant presence at the pass rusher’s pro day.
  • Due to the draft being more deep than top-heavy, there are several prospects who receive a wide range of opinions on when and where they’ll go in the draft. According to Matt Miller of ESPN, though, no player has a wider range than Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen. Transferring within the conference from Texas A&M for the final year of his collegiate career, Nolen had a strong, consensus All-American season with the Rebels, totaling 48 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 14 tackles for loss. Despite the impressive performance, Miller claims that “teams are torn on (Nolen’s) lack of refined pass-rush moves,” resulting in projections from the top 10 all the way back to the second round.
  • Last year was the second time in the three years that we saw no running backs taken in the first round of the draft. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, we could see two running backs hear their names called on Day 1 of the event this year. A running backs coach told Schultz that “there’s no way (Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty) falls outside the top 15-20 picks.” Jeanty has been projected in multiple mock drafts to both the Raiders at No. 6 overall and the Cowboys at No. 12. While the position is deep, with players like Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, Ohio State’s duo of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, Miami’s Damien Martinez, and several others, it’s North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton who may have played himself into the first round with Jeanty. Schultz claims that a personnel director told him the only thing Hampton needed to do in order to go in Round 1 was run in the 4.4’s at the combine, and Hampton ran a 4.46. He may not get taken as high as Jeanty, but he should still be considered a first-round candidate come the end of April.

Patriots To Match Raiders’ Christian Elliss Offer Sheet

March 25th, 2025 at 1:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

MARCH 25: The Raiders designed a two-year, $13.5MM offer sheet, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. With the Patriots matching it, the proposal now doubles as a significant New England raise for the young linebacker.

MARCH 24: Christian Elliss signed an offer sheet with the Raiders last week, leaving the Patriots in position to either match it or allow him to depart without any compensation coming back. New England has taken the former route.

The Patriots will match the Elliss offer sheet, as first reported by ESPN’s Mike Reiss. The move locks in the two-year deal which would have otherwise sent him to Vegas. Elliss will carry a cap charge of $4.84MM this season, one in which he was originally slated to earn $3.26MM on his RFA tender.

Elliss began his career with the Eagles, operating as a key special teams presence during his time with them. He was waived late in the 2023 campaign, though, and the Patriots’ decision to claim him set him up for a New England stint. The 26-year-old made five starts across his 16 appearances last season, and while he remained a core special teams contributor he took on a defensive workload as well. Elliss logged 513 defensive snaps in 2024, by far the most of his career.

The Idaho product received the original-round tender to prevent him from reaching unrestricted free agency. That move set Elliss up for a cost-effective 2025 deal, but it opened the door to an offer sheet since no compensation would have been included for the former undrafted free agent (which would have been the case had New England applied the more expensive second-round tender). The Raiders lost Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo in free agency, and Elliss would have been able to handle a notable defensive role aimed at helping to replace them at the second level of the team’s defense.

Instead, Vegas will look elsewhere on the free agent market and the draft to address the linebacker position. Elliss, meanwhile, will remain in place on a Patriots team which added Spillane on a three-year deal and reunited head coach Mike Vrabel with former Titan Jack Gibbens. Ja’Whaun Bentley and Jahlani Tavai are in place as holdovers from last season, and Elliss will look to carve out a role among the mix of new additions and returnees.

He will do so with financial security for the next two years, though, and it will be interesting to see how he is used moving forward. The Patriots entered Monday with more than $80MM in remaining cap space, so they will easily be able to afford the added cost of keeping Elliss in place.

Eliot Wolf Addresses Patriots’ Draft Strategy; Team High On Will Campbell, Armand Membou?

March 25th, 2025 at 11:57am CST by Adam La Rose

Set to select fourth overall in April’s draft, the Patriots are a team to watch closely. New England is not in need of a Day 1 quarterback, something which could lead to favorable circumstances with respect to how the top of the board shakes out in the first round.

Still, the team faces a number of roster-building questions in the wake of free agency. The Patriots were busy on the open market, with lucrative deals for the likes of Milton Williams, Carlton Davis and Harold Landry aimed at upgrading their defense. The left tackle and receiver positions are still in need of attention, though, leading many to point to those as targets for the No. 4 pick. When speaking on the subject, EVP Eliot Wolf said need will not lead to the team reaching on a prospect.

[RELATED: No Deal Imminent Between Patriots, Stefon Diggs]

“No, we don’t [feel compelled]. The best player available is going to be the way it is,” Wolf said (via Karen Guregian of MassLive). “Maybe we went for need a little bit too much last year… But, just moving forward, it’s taking the best player, and understanding that we’ve filled a lot of needs already in free agency.”

New England’s offensive line was a major sore spot in 2024, and improving the unit was seen as a central priority for the offseason. The team’s only moves to date have consisted of adding veteran right tackle Morgan Moses and center Garrett Bradbury along with tendering Demontrey Jacobs, however. Providing quarterback Drake Maye with blindside protection will be critical for his first full season as a starter, but at this point nothing has taken place at the left tackle position. As a result, it remains one to watch closely regarding the draft.

On that note, Guregian reports the Patriots remain fond of Will Campbell at this point in the evaluation process. The LSU product is seen as the top O-lineman in the 2025 class, but questions linger about his ability to play tackle at the NFL level. A move to guard could be in store based on his arm length, but a selection at No. 4 on the part of the Patriots would represent confidence he can handle left tackle duties.

Other lineman are on the team’s first-round radar as well. Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline writes the Patriots have shown “an incredible amount of interest” in Armand Membou since the Combine took place earlier this month. The Missouri product has seen his draft stock rise in recent weeks, although he too is seen as a candidate to play guard in the NFL. Like with Campbell, Membou would be expected to operate as a tackle in the event New England drafted him in (or near) the top five or 10 selections.

Of course, any public statements made at this time of year cannot fully be taken at face value. Still, Wolf’s remarks indicate the Patriots are open to several different possibilities in the first round, including those which could steer them toward an offensive lineman with their top pick (although as Guregian notes, New England sees Heisman winner Travis Hunter as the best player in the draft). Barring a left tackle signing in particular over the coming weeks, Campbell and Membou will be worth monitoring from New England’s perspective as the draft approaches.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/24/25

March 24th, 2025 at 8:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

A pair of former Patriots were claimed off waivers today. Lecitus Smith started one of his eight appearances for New England in 2024, although his offensive showing was limited to only five offensive snaps. He spent the 2023 season in Arizona, where he started two of his 10 appearances.

Curtis Jacobs got into nine games (two starts) as a UDFA with the Patriots in 2024, compiling four tackles while spending the majority of his time on special teams. A Penn State product, Jacobs spent last preseason with the Chiefs.

No Deal Imminent Between Patriots, WR Stefon Diggs

March 24th, 2025 at 10:25am CST by Adam La Rose

MARCH 24: Confirming a sense of urgency does not appear to be in place for either side in this situation, ESPN’s Mike Reiss adds that Diggs is ahead of schedule in his ACL rehab. That factor could help him land a deal relatively soon, but it remains to be seen if one will send him to New England.

MARCH 21: Stefon Diggs is one of several veteran wideouts still on the market in the second wave of free agency. He visited the Patriots yesterday, but a deal should not immediately be expected at this point.

Nothing is imminent in the case of Diggs and New England, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz notes. Team and player will remain in contact with one another, though, he adds. This week’s summit included a physical, something which will no doubt be key in determining the Patriots’ willingness to make a commitment for 2025.

Adding in the passing game has long been seen as a priority, although New England’s many moves to date in free agency have not yielded a major signing on that front. The team has re-signed tight end Austin Hooper and brought in receiver Mack Hollins, but room exists for a move at the top of the WR depth chart. Diggs posted six straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2018-23, but to little surprise his Bills tenure came to an end last offseason. His trade to Houston was followed by a contract restructure which made him a free agent in 2025, but things did not go according to plan during his debut campaign.

Diggs suffered an ACL tear midway through the 2024 season, an injury which hindered his market value and left Houston without a key member of the WR room. His absence was later compounded by Tank Dell‘s season-ending injury, one which has 2025 availability in doubt. The Texans already have Nico Collins attached to a lucrative long-term deal, but general manager Nick Caserio said last month the team would consider keeping Diggs in the fold on a new contract. That could still take place depending on how his market unfolds over the coming days.

New England was a key suitor for Calvin Ridley in free agency last spring, and strong interest was known on both the Tee Higgins and Chris Godwin fronts this time around. Without any of those pass-catchers in place, the Patriots have Hollins along with a group of incumbents led by Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas, Ja’Lynn Polk, and Javon Baker on the depth chart as things stand. Diggs, 31, would add a notable track record of production to that group, although questions about his upside at this point in his career will linger in the wake of his ACL tear.

The four-time Pro Bowler averaged 62 yards per game in eight Texans contests last season, scoring three touchdowns before he went down. Expectations would be relatively high upon arrival in New England (on what could very well be a short-term deal given his health situation), but at this point a pact keeping him in Houston or sending him to a different team is still in the cards.

Cowboys, Patriots Balked At Cooper Kupp’s Price; Pats Wrote ‘Blank Checks’ For Chris Godwin?

March 23rd, 2025 at 11:10pm CST by Rory Parks

After veteran WR Cooper Kupp was released by the Rams, he generated a healthy market and quickly found a new club. Just two days after his release, the Super Bowl LVI MVP joined the Seahawks on a three-year, $45MM contract.

The $15MM average annual value on Kupp’s Seattle deal surpassed initial expectations. The Cowboys, who were known to be in the market for a pass-catching sidekick for CeeDee Lamb, were connected to Kupp, but even the $12MM AAV that was originally believed to be the asking price for the former Rams target was seen as too rich for Dallas’ liking.

Elaborating further on that point, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes Lamb and Cowboys QB Dak Prescott called Kupp in an effort to recruit him to Dallas. Per Schefter, the club was indeed interested before bowing out due to financial considerations.

“[T]he Cowboys reached out about Cooper Kupp, and they were interested,” Schefter said on a recent podcast (via Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS). “Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, who I understand it, were on the phone with Cooper Kupp talking to him about the idea of coming to Dallas, and it was floated out there. And then the Cowboys heard the numbers, and they were at numbers the Cowboys weren’t going to get to.”

With massive contracts for Prescott and Lamb already on the books and another one for Micah Parsons in the works – despite a current lack of traction on that front – Dallas’ reluctance to make additional notable commitments to its cap sheet has been well-documented. Nonetheless, the team does hope to compete for a postseason berth in 2025, and signing Parris Campbell one day after Kupp agreed to join the Seahawks may not have been an ideal consolation prize for the Cowboys’ QB1/WR1 duo (especially since Brandin Cooks has now rejoined the Saints).

Interestingly, the Patriots, who entered the offseason with easily the most cap space in the NFL and who still lead the league in that regard, were also unwilling to exceed a certain threshold for Kupp. New England has been on the lookout for a high-end receiver for some time and was named as a suitor for Kupp. However, just like the Cowboys, the Pats bowed out when it became clear how much money Kupp was going to command (as Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal implies).

Despite the season-ending ankle injury that Chris Godwin suffered in Week 7 of the 2024 season, New England seemingly had no reservations about his price point. We already knew the Pats were preparing to make an aggressive push for Godwin, who reportedly left money on the table to re-sign with the Bucs. As it turns out, he might have left quite a lot of money on the table.

In a recent appearance on 95.3 WDAE (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk), Tampa Bay GM Jason Licht said, “[t]here were several teams that inquired but there was one that kept writing him blank checks. We got to a point of what we could do in order to keep everything together and add some pieces here, and he took it.”

Naturally, Licht did not name the blank check writer, but as Smith notes, the Patriots are believed to have extended a very lucrative offer. We may never know how high New England was willing to go to land Godwin, though QB Drake Maye cannot fault the club for its efforts to add to his supporting cast.

With Godwin off the market, the Pats recently turned their attention to free agent wideout Stefon Diggs. As of the time of this writing, a deal with the four-time Pro Bowler is not imminent.

David Andrews Addresses Patriots Release; C Unsure Of Playing Future

March 22nd, 2025 at 9:04pm CST by Adam La Rose

After David Andrews was limited to four games last season, the possibility of a release was raised this spring. New head coach Mike Vrabel and the Patriots did indeed elect to cut the veteran center with one year remaining on his deal.

Andrews spoke about the decision on his Quick Snap podcast (video link). The 32-year-old acknowledged being released was on the table in the wake of his missed time in 2024 – due to a shoulder injury – along with the changes brought about by Vrabel’s arrival. He added that he was nevertheless “a little shocked” by the move.

“I knew that offense really well,” Andrews said (via NFL.com). “I’ve had a lot of success in that offense. It fits my play style well, how I like to play, what I like to do. So, I’ve had a lot of success. And was excited for that reunion [with OC Josh McDaniels]. “I’ve had a great relationship with Josh, and, you know, I was excited to see Vrabel and what he brought to the table as a football coach.

“I thought I could have the surgery and see what happens. And obviously, the team made a decision that they’re trying to do what’s best for the football team… Obviously, I thought there were some things I could do to help and provide value. But I understand their decision at some level.”

Upgrading along the offensive line was universally seen as a major priority for the Patriots entering the offseason. The early stages of free agency saw a deal worked out with veteran Morgan Moses, and interest was shown in top center free agent Drew Dalman. The latter took a lucrative Bears pact, though, a move which initially seemed to leave New England in need of waiting until the draft to find an Andrews replacement. The Patriots have instead since inked ex-Viking Garrett Bradbury to a two-year contract, giving them a starter for the short-term future.

Andrews did not play in 2019; aside from that campaign, however, he operated as New England’s full-time center starter since being drafted in 2015. The Georgia product’s PFF evaluations were consistent for much of his career, although his 2024 grade (58.7) was the lowest of his career. Improved play in the middle – and elsewhere along the O-line – will be critical for the Pats moving forward. That effort will not include Andrews, though.

The former UDFA is free to sign with an interested team at any time (although his market might not pick up until after his surgery takes place). Andrews neither committed to continuing his career in 2025 nor to retiring, however, so his future is uncertain at this point. Suitors could emerge if he eyes a short-term pact with a new team, something which will depend on his health and his willingness to play elsewhere for the first time in his pro tenure.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/21/25

March 21st, 2025 at 8:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves in the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Load More Posts