Patriots Free Agents: Who Stays, Who Goes Ahead Of 2023 Season?

After Sunday’s season-ending loss in Buffalo eliminated them from playoff contention, the New England Patriots already have begun the process of retooling their team for 2023.

A key step in that process will be deciding which free agents to re-sign and which to let walk.

More than 20 Patriots players are set to hit free agency when the new league year begins March 15. That list includes two veteran wideouts, a starting running back, four offensive tackles, two starting defensive backs and a pair of longtime team captains.

As the Patriots leave 2022 behind and shift their focus to next season, here’s a closer look at each of the team’s impending free agents. All are unrestricted free agents unless otherwise noted.

OFFENSE
WR Jakobi Meyers
Age: 27
2022 stats: 67 catches, 804 yards, six touchdowns (14 games)
Meyers led the Patriots in receiving yards for the third consecutive season despite battling through multiple injuries that sidelined him for three games. His six touchdown catches also quadrupled his previous career total. Meyers said he “definitely” wants to re-sign, but as arguably the best wideout available in a weak free agent class, he should have a strong market.

RB Damien Harris
Age: 26
2022 stats: 106 carries, 462 yards, three touchdowns (11 games)
This season was a steady drumbeat of injuries for Harris, who missed six games and parts of three others. He finished with less than half as many yards and 12 fewer touchdowns than he totaled during his breakout 2021 campaign, hurting his value as he heads into free agency for the first time. Harris said he would love to return “if they want to have me,” but the Patriots may prefer to roll with lead back Rhamondre Stevenson and 2022 draftees Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris in 2023.

WR Nelson Agholor
Age: 30
2022 stats: 31 catches, 362 yards, two touchdowns (16 games)
One of the most disappointing members of the Patriots’ blockbuster 2021 free agent class, Agholor had more games with zero catches this season (six) than games with 30-plus receiving yards (five). He’s topped 75 yards just once in his Patriots tenure and managed just one catch on eight targets over the final four games this season. His lone target in Sunday’s loss to Buffalo was intercepted. All from a player who carried the fifth-highest salary cap hit of any NFL wideout.

OT Isaiah Wynn
Age: 27
2022 stats: nine games (seven starts)
The Patriots gambled by moving Wynn from left to right tackle — a position he’d never played in the NFL or college — and that bet busted. He was benched three times, came off the bench twice and was moved to left guard before landing on injured reserve in December for the third time in his career. The odds of him returning in 2023 appear slim.

OL James Ferentz
Age: 33
2022 stats: 11 games (three starts)
David Andrews’ veteran backup has been with the Patriots since 2017, making fill-in appearances at center and guard.

OT Conor McDermott
Age: 30
2022 stats: six games (six starts)
The Patriots signed McDermott off the Jets’ practice squad just before Thanksgiving, and he started their final six games at right tackle, playing all but one snap. That New England needed to rely on a player like McDermott spoke to its concerning lack of quality tackle depth — a roster flaw the Patriots must repair this offseason.

OT Yodny Cajuste
Age: 26
2022 stats: 10 games (three starts)
The three starts Cajuste made this season upped his career total to five. The Patriots preferred McDermott to the 2019 third-round pick down the stretch.

OT Marcus Cannon
Age: 34
2022 stats: five games (four starts)
Cannon briefly helped stabilize the Patriots’ O-line in his return to New England, but he landed on IR after Week 8 and never returned to the field.

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DEFENSE
CB Jonathan Jones
Age: 29
2022 stats: 69 tackles, four interceptions, 11 passes defended, three forced fumbles, one touchdown (16 games)
All-Pro wideouts Stefon Diggs and Justin Jefferson gave Jones problems, but overall, his Year 7 transition from slot to outside corner was a success. In three games against Diggs and Jefferson, he allowed 100.1 receiving yards per game and four touchdowns, per Pro Football Focus. In his 13 other contests, he let up 18.9 yards per game and two touchdowns. Bill Belichick has raved about Jones on several occasions, but the Patriots don’t have a history of paying up for cornerbacks in their 30s. Jones’ market value likely will depend on whether other teams view him as a nickel back or a starting perimeter corner.

S Devin McCourty
Age: 35
2022 stats: 71 tackles, four interceptions, eight passes defended, one fumble recovery (17 games)
This could be the end of the road for McCourty, who said he’ll consider retirement this offseason. He was visibly emotional at the end of Sunday’s season-ending loss, during which he recorded an interception, a fumble recovery and an end-zone pass breakup. McCourty has been a Patriots captain for the last 12 seasons and hasn’t missed a game since 2015, serving as the leader and central nervous system of New England’s defense. Losing him would leave a gaping hole in the Patriots’ secondary with no obvious replacement on the roster.

CB Myles Bryant (RFA)
Age: 25
2022 stats: 40 tackles, one interception, six passes defended, one fumble recover (17 games)
With Jones changing positions, Bryant was the Patriots’ top slot corner throughout the season. The vitriol he received from New England fans was undeserved at times, but he had a rough game in Week 18, blowing a 1-on-1 tackle on Buffalo’s second kick-return touchdown and allowing a 42-yard big-play score to wide receiver John Brown. Bryant finished the season as PFF’s 11th-highest-grade run defender among cornerbacks despite his 5-foot-9, 185-pound frame.

S Jabrill Peppers
Age: 27
2022 stats: 60 tackles, one fumble recovery (17 games)
Peppers brought versatility and bone-crunching physicality as New England’s fourth safety.

LB Raekwon McMillan
Age: 27
2022 stats: 35 tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery, one touchdown (16 games)
McMillan started and played 70% of snaps in Week 1 but never sniffed that mark again. His highest snap rate from that point on was 35%, with Jahlani Tavai emerging as the Patriots’ top inside linebacker option alongside Ja’Whaun Bentley. McMillan’s biggest contribution was his fumble return for a touchdown against Arizona.

LB Mack Wilson
Age: 24
2022 stats: 36 tackles, 1 1/2 sacks, one pass defended, one forced fumble (17 games)
Acquired in the Chase Winovich trade, Wilson’s season followed the same trajectory as Winovich’s Patriots tenure. He started three of New England’s first four games on defense but eventually was a special teams-only player by season’s end, logging zero defensive snaps over the final five weeks.

DT Daniel Ekuale
Age: 28
2022 stats: 14 tackles, two sacks, one pass defended (15 games)
After serving a two-game suspension to start the season, Ekuale was a weekly contributor on the Patriots’ D-line, playing 36% of defensive snaps after his return and flashing as a pass rusher. His 22 total pressures ranked fifth on the team, per PFF, trailing only Matthew Judon, Josh Uche, Deatrich Wise and Christian Barmore.

DT Carl Davis
Age: 30
2022 stats: 11 tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery (16 games)
Davis played 219 defensive snaps as a backup nose tackle, sitting out one game as a healthy scratch.

CB Joejuan Williams
Age: 25
2022 stats: N/A
A 2019 second-round draft bust, Williams was placed on season-ending injured reserve before Week 1.

SPECIAL TEAMS
ST Matthew Slater
Age: 37
2022 stats: 13 tackles (17 games)
Still regularly drawing double-teams in his 15th pro season, Slater notched double-digit special teams tackles for the 11th time in his career. A shoo-in for the Patriots Hall of Fame who should receive Pro Football Hall of Fame consideration, as well, New England will sorely miss his leadership if he opts to retire.

LS Joe Cardona
Age: 30
2022 stats: one tackle (14 games)
A foot injury landed Cardona on IR in December, snapping a streak of 144 consecutive games played (playoffs included) to start his career. Tucker Addington handled long-snapping duties for the final month of the season.

P Michael Palardy
Age: 30
2022 stats: 42.4 yards per punt, 37.3 net yards per punt (eight games)
Palardy took over punting duties after Jake Bailey landed on injured reserve in November. He struggled, ranking near the bottom of the league in both punting metrics while not providing Bailey’s kickoff ability. With the team suspending Bailey before their season finale, there’s a good chance New England will have a brand-new punter in 2023.

ST Cody Davis
Age: 33
2022 stats: six tackles (six games)
Davis was on pace for another productive season in the kicking game when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 6.