The New England Patriots’ offseason is in full swing. Here are 20 questions they’ll need answered over the coming months:
1. Will Tom Brady be back?
The 42-year-old franchise quarterback is set to hit free agency for the first time March 18. His decision — re-sign with the Patriots, sign elsewhere or retire — will be the No. 1 NFL storyline this offseason. And if Brady does leave, what do the Patriots do at quarterback? Do they believe Jarrett Stidham could be QB1 in his second NFL season? Do they bring in a veteran like Marcus Mariota or Teddy Bridgewater? Do they draft someone?
2. Will Bill Belichick be back?
We’d be very surprised if Belichick left the Patriots this offseason, but he didn’t confirm he’ll return during his end-of-season news conference.
3. Will Josh McDaniels be back?
McDaniels was viewed as one of this year’s top head-coaching candidates, but his options are dwindling. The Carolina Panthers (Matt Rhule) and New York Giants (Joe Judge) both hired new coaches before interviewing McDaniels, leaving the Cleveland Browns as his only remaining suitor. McDaniels reportedly is scheduled to meet with them Friday.
4. Who replaces Joe Judge?
Even if McDaniels sticks around, the Patriots will need to fill two holes on their coaching staff after Judge — their wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator — jumped to the Giants. Chad O’Shea seems like an obvious choice to coach New England’s wideouts; he did so from 2009 to 2018 and is available after the Miami Dolphins fired him last month. Former Patriots star Troy Brown also worked as the team’s unofficial assistant receivers coach last season. Special teams assistant Cameron Achord could receive a promotion after working under Judge for the last two seasons.
5. Any other coaching changes?
Defensive line coach Bret Bielema said he’s received interest from college programs. Offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia turns 72 next month and could retire at any point. Would he want to stick around if McDaniels leaves?
6. How about the front office?
Director of player personnel Nick Caserio, pro scouting director Dave Ziegler and director of college scouting Monti Ossenfort all have been mentioned as potential general manager candidates.
7. Can the Patriots afford Joe Thuney?Â
Unlikely. Thuney, who’s started every game since New England drafted him in the third round in 2016, is set to cash in after earning second-team All-Pro honors this season, and the Patriots already signed right guard Shaq Mason to a five-year, $50 million contract before the 2018 season.
8. Is Kyle Van Noy gone?
Van Noy was the Patriots’ best pass rusher this season, and he’s insinuated he would not take a hometown discount to re-sign. He’ll likely fetch more on the open market than Belichick would be willing to pay, though it’ll be interesting to see how other teams value a player who didn’t flourish until he joined the Patriots.
9. Will Devin McCourty return?
McCourty, one of the most important players of Phase 2 of the Patriots dynasty, said he “definitely” plans on playing in 2020. The 32-year-old is a longtime team captain and is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. His brother, Jason, currently is under contract through next season. (More on him in item No. 18.)
10. Will Matthew Slater retire?
Slater, another impending free agent, said he’d need to speak with his family before determining his next move. It’s hard to imagine the 34-year-old team captain playing anywhere else, and he clearly still is one of the best in football at what he does, as evidenced by his Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selections this season.
11. Will Jamie Collins stick around?Â
Collins revived his career after returning to the Patriots on a one-year prove-it deal, though his production dipped during the second half of the season after a phenomenal start. What’s his market? Ex-Patriots assistants Brian Flores and Matt Patricia could be interested in pursuing Collins, McCourty and/or Van Noy.
12. How about the rest of the free agents?
The Patriots have a total of 19 players set to hit unrestricted or restricted free agency in March, including 18 who finished the season on the 53-man roster (defensive end Keionta Davis was the outlier). Other notable names on that list include center/guard Ted Karras, wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, defensive tackle Danny Shelton, linebacker/fullback Elandon Roberts, defensive tackle Adam Butler (restricted) and special teamer Nate Ebner.
13. Is a big splash coming at receiver?
Julian Edelman was the Patriots’ only consistently productive wideout in 2019, and even his numbers slipped down the stretch as injuries and frequent double coverage took their toll. New England needed more than what it got out of Mohamed Sanu, N’Keal Harry, Phillip Dorsett and Jakobi Meyers, leading many fans to clamor for a high-profile offseason addition. A.J. Green? Emmanuel Sanders? Odell Beckham Jr.? An upgrade at the position could help convince Brady to stay put.
14. How will the Patriots improve their tight end group?
New England’s biggest mistake from a roster construction standpoint was not doing nearly enough to replace Rob Gronkowski. Ben Watson, Matt LaCosse and Ryan Izzo combined to catch just 36 passes for 418 yards and two touchdowns this season — totals a diminished Gronk surpassed by himself in 2018. Remedying that situation, either in free agency or through the draft, needs to be one of the Patriots’ top priorities this spring. Austin Hooper, Hunter Henry and Eric Ebron headline an intriguing free-agent class. Draft-wise, remember the name Cole Kmet. The Notre Dame product already is generating buzz as a potential Patriots target at pick No. 23.
15. What will next season’s O-line look like?
The Patriots could look to replace Thuney with Karras, but he’ll be a free agent, too, and could fetch starter’s money elsewhere after filling in for David Andrews at center this season. Will Andrews even be healthy enough to return, for that matter, after missing the entire season with blood clots in his lungs? And how much does Marcus Cannon, who turns 32 in May, have left? Redshirted 2019 draft picks Hjalte Froholdt (guard/center) and Yodny Cajuste (tackle) are wild cards. Lot of questions up front.
16. Will Stephen Gostkowski return as the Patriots’ kicker?
Gostkowski will be 36 and coming off hip surgery when the Patriots reconvene for offseason workouts. There’s no guarantee he’ll be back. Nick Folk, who performed well down the stretch after not kicking in the NFL for two years, is 35 and will be a free agent. Trick-shot kicker Josh Gable could return for another extended tryout this spring. Drafting a kicker might be a smart move.
17. Will Bill Belichick name a defensive coordinator?
Safeties/secondary coach Steve Belichick and inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo shared coordinator duties along with Bill Belichick this season. Will Bill give one of them the official title in 2020?
18. Any veteran cuts coming?
The Patriots might want to continue working with Sanu after trading a second-round draft pick for him a few months ago. But if they want to cut bait, they can save $6.5 million against the salary cap by releasing the veteran wideout, who has no dead money remaining on his deal. They also could save $3.8 million by cutting cornerback Jason McCourty and $2.9 million by parting ways with running back Rex Burkhead. McCourty, who missed most of the second half of this season, and Burkhead both are valuable players when healthy, but the Patriots do have solid depth at both positions.
19. Any extensions coming?
New England could free up some additional cap space by extending Pro Bowl linebacker Dont’a Hightower, who’s set to carry a cap hit of more than $11 million in 2020, the final year of his current contract. Other notable 2021 free agents include Andrews, running back James White, defensive tackle Lawrence Guy and cornerback J.C. Jackson.
20. How will the Patriots handle the draft?
The Pats have an unusually high first-round pick (23rd overall) and three third-rounders (including two projected compensatory selections) but none in the second round following the Sanu trade. It’s been years since Belichick drafted an impact player in the second round — the jury’s still out on 2019’s Joejuan Williams — but the chances of him making a move to close that gap are high.
