Free agency is just a few days away and the Patriots lead the league with the most cap space to utilize and makeover their roster ahead of the 2025 season. There has been a lot of speculation about who the new regime might be interested in and what they're willing to do to acquire the talent needed, but nothing is certain until players sign on the dotted line.
The team has already been connected to several names, many of whom are expected to be highly sought after, which historically has not worked in the Patriots' favor. The hope is that they are a more desirable destination now with Mike Vrabel in as the head coach and Drake Maye as the starting quarterback. That way, the players they want won't need to be too persuaded to sign.
Because so many positions need to be dealt with, there are plenty of big names that they can (hopefully) attract. But even with the most cap space and a motivated new staff, there isn't much belief from the fans that the typical reluctant Patriots won't follow the same routine they generally have at this point in the offseason.
Most are sticking with the "I gotta see it to believe it" mentality, which is fair. But the latest insight from Patriots insider Mike Reiss might help push fans into a more optimistic realm of thought ahead of next week's chaos.
Mike Reiss believes the Patriots will repeat their infamous 2021 free agency spending spree this year
During a live stream with CLNS on Friday night, the longtime Patriots insider with ESPN spoke about what he thinks we will see from the Patriots when free agency officially begins on Wednesday, or even sooner when the legal tampering period starts on Monday.
Much to fans surprise, Reiss feels we will see a similar situation unravel to how Bill Belichick approached free agency in 2021, signing a ton of talent in the first couple of days, many of whom were big names to hit the free agent market.
.@MikeReiss believes the start of free agency this year will be much like the start of free agency in 2021 — New England signed 7 players day one.
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) March 8, 2025
(🎥 @PatriotsCLNS) pic.twitter.com/FoW26fFFVv
Although not every player who signed worked out well in the long run, most notably Jonnu Smith and maybe even Nelson Agholor, Belichick did add talent that went on to make a significant impact on the team during some of their worst years in recent memory.
Kendrick Bourne, Hunter Henry and Matt Judon were some of the best free agents the head coach brought in and if the Patriots can replicate that success with free agents this year, they'll be in great hands during the 2025 season.
There might be some more talented names for Vrabel to look into this year as opposed to the crop Belichick had to work with four years ago, too. Hopefully, that's what they'll do and get the team back on track in the way the organization has promised since Tom Brady left the team in 2020.
But like many fans have already expressed, we'll have to see it to believe it.