The Patriots are headed into training camp with a glaring problem still sitting at the top of the checklist: the pass rush. And with one of the toughest schedules of the 2026 season already looming, that’s not the kind of weakness they can afford to carry into Week 1.
If New England wants to make a real upgrade up front, the options are clear. They can chase one of the remaining free agents and hope for a quick fit - a path that might make the most sense with a veteran like Jadeveon Clowney - or they can swing for the fences again and land a bigger-name player via trade.
The good news for the Patriots is that they have the financial flexibility to do either. They currently sit with more than $37.7 million in salary cap space, and with only one rookie still unsigned, there’s plenty of room to keep building.
That kind of cushion is a sharp change from what New England has dealt with in recent years. For much of the last decade, the Patriots rarely had much cap space left when camp rolled around, and Bill Belichick generally wasn’t the type to spend aggressively in free agency anyway. Outside of the 2021 offseason spending spree, he usually kept the checkbook closed.
That approach eventually caught up with the team. Then came the seasons when there was almost nothing to work with at all, including Jerod Mayo’s only offseason as head coach, when the Patriots couldn’t even overpay to bring in help.
That has shifted over the last two years, and Mike Vrabel and Co. have been able to use that flexibility to add talent. This spring, they made notable moves by signing WR Romeo Doubs and trading for A.J. Brown, but the job isn’t finished.
With a wide-open Super Bowl window, there’s little sense in carrying that much money into the regular season when there are still top free agents available and more names floating around the trade market.
In Other News...
DeAndre Hopkins Just Showed Up At Patriots Camp For A Reason
DeAndre Hopkins is back around a football operation, only this time the role is different. The veteran receiver has shown up at Patriots training camp this summer while working with the coaching staff and personnel department, giving New England a familiar name in the building as he starts to explore what might come next.
Mike Vrabel confirmed Hopkins is around in that capacity, a notable wrinkle for a player who has spent so long on the field and now appears to be looking toward the sideline. Hopkins has not made anything official about his future, but the expectation is that his playing days are winding down, which makes this camp appearance feel less like a cameo and more like the beginning of a career transition. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Fans Are Mourning The Loss Of A Former Title Team Lineman
Jordan Devey, a former NFL lineman who was part of the Patriots 2014 Super Bowl team, has died at 38, a loss that is resonating with fans who remember the depth and toughness that helped shape that championship run. Deveys NFL path was a long one for an undrafted player, with stops across several teams over an eight-year career, but his place in New England history came with that title season and the ring that followed.
After football, Devey stayed close to the game in a different way, serving as a volunteer coach and mentor at Eagle High School in Idaho. For Patriots fans, his story is another reminder of how many of the players tied to that championship era carried their influence well beyond the field, and the news has left plenty of people reflecting on the life he built after the league. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Newton Just Took Another Unnecessary Shot At The Patriots
Cam Newton found himself back in the news after being laid off by ESPN during the networks annual cuts, and his reaction quickly circled back to New England. Newton said the last time he was surprised by a business decision was when he was released by the Patriots, a remark that landed as another reminder that his relationship with the franchise still carries some edge.
The comment fits a familiar pattern for Newton, who has already drawn heat from Patriots fans for publicly questioning Drake Maye. Even with New England trying to move forward at quarterback, Newton keeps pulling the conversation back to his own exit, which makes every new aside feel less like reflection and more like another shot across the bow. [Read more 🡒]