Arbella Early Edition

Could Patriots look to move on from certain players this offseason?

Mike Vrabel noted in his first press conference he wants to get "entitlement" out of New England.

Share
NBC Universal, Inc.

The 2025 NFL offseason is a massively important one for the New England Patriots as they try to get their rebuild moving in the right direction.

The last few weeks have seen the Patriots overhaul their coaching staff. They hired Mike Vrabel to be the new head coach. Josh McDaniels is back for his third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator. And on Wednesday, the team announced it has hired Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams as its new defensive coordinator.

The process of adding players will soon begin. Free agency starts in March, and the Patriots have an NFL-leading $120 million worth of salary cap space, per OverTheCap, with tons of roster weaknesses to address.

While the Patriots definitely need to acquire a lot more talent and depth at key positions, what about moving on from certain players? Could the Patriots make any moves in the coming months that see any notable players exit Foxboro?

"All we're talking about is additions," The MMQB's Albert Breer said Tuesday on NBC Sports Boston's Arbella Early Edition, as seen in the video player above. "Do we know that there's not gonna be subtractions? Mike Vrabel talked about, 'We're gonna get entitlement out of the building.' There's gonna be a weeding out process, too.

"People in Tennessee have said this: It takes a certain type of player to play for Mike Vrabel. So there's gonna be a process of some talent going out the door as well."

Our Patriots insider Phil Perry agreed.

"There should be, quite frankly, like even if they're big names. They need a refresh," Perry said. "They need a reset that badly when it comes to the culture and the mentality.

"Hunter Henry and David Andrews, these guys seem to get it. These guys are gonna be guys (the Patriots) build around. Some of these other guys, different position groups, I'm not so sure. Feel free to cut ties, even if it sets you back in the near term, maybe it sets you up in the long term."

Breer wondered what the coaching change might mean for defensive tackle Christian Barmore.

"I know there were some veterans on that roster -- Matthew Judon was one of them, (Davon) Godchaux is another -- that looked at the Patriots sideways for giving Barmore all the money they gave him," Breer said.

"So is that a guy when Mike Vrabel walks in here, 'Do we look at this guy as a $21 million player, or is this one of the guys that we look at as a (trade) chip and maybe he's gonna be more valuable to somebody else, and maybe that's not the guy I want to have as the highest paid guy on my roster?' Because that stuff matters, too."

🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: Why is hiring Josh McDaniels the best move for the Patriots offense? | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

Barmore was one of the Patriots' best players in the 2023 season, but he missed most of the 2024 campaign because of blood clots. The Patriots signed Barmore to a four-year extension worth a maximum value of $92 million in April of last year.

The Patriots pass rush suffered quite a bit without Barmore for most of this past season. They finished last in the league in sacks with 28. The Patriots don't have a ton of high-end talent on the defensive line, so if Barmore is healthy next season, that would be a huge boost to the front seven.

The Patriots have a lot of interesting roster decisions to make over the next few months.

Contact Us