As the Patriots set out to assemble their 2026 roster, it's beyond clear where they may have made mistakes early in free agency, whether in who they chose to sign or who they passed on, especially those they should have re-signed.
Because the defensive line has been problematic all summer, it wouldn't be uncalled for to suggest that watching someone like K'Lavon Chaisson sign with the Commanders was a bad decision, but maybe even worse was their unwillingness to pay defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga, who signed a hefty contract with the Chiefs earlier this year.
As one of the more under-the-radar signings of last offseason, Tonga quickly became a fan favorite and a legitimate threat to stopping the run, which helped New England keep superstar running backs at bay for the first half of the year.
He also surprisingly helped on offense, whether it be as an additional offensive lineman or a fullback, making him even more valuable than anyone could have imagined.
So there were more than enough reasons for him to return for the 2026 season, and based on initial reports, they didn't re-sign him due to money. The problem is, according to Boston Sports Journal's Greg Bedard, the cash was minuscule in the grand scheme of things, making the entire situation even worse than we initially thought.
The Patriots should already regret not re-signing Khyiris Tonga in free agency
During an appearance on 98.5's Felger & Mazz on Friday, Bedard discussed Tonga's departure and revealed the details behind it.
Instead of being millions of dollars that separated him from signing a new deal with the Patriots, it was only thousands, and while that's a lot for the average person, it's basically pocket change in the NFL, making this decision look even worse than it initially did, especially after seeing how much the defense struggled in the preseason.
“On Khyiris Tonga, the reason why he is not [in New England], is because the Patriots would not fork over less than $500,000. A little bit less than that, like somewhere between $350,000 [and] $400,000. They would’ve kicked that in, he would’ve been here and his contract would have been probably half what he signed with the Chiefs with."
It would almost be better if we never learned just how close they were in negotiations than if we saw these specific numbers, because now seeing Tonga in Kansas City feels that much worse.
To top it off, if they could have agreed on that number, he would have signed a cheaper contract than the one he got with the Chiefs, which makes the decision not to do it more puzzling, since the initial thought was that he was demanding too much money. Clearly, that wasn't the case.
Given how poorly the defensive line has performed throughout the preseason, especially against the run, it's frustrating to know Tonga could have been in the lineup if the Patriots' front office weren't trying to penny-pinch.
Knowing that they still have over $31 million in cap space makes that decision that much more confusing.
Instead, he's going to thrive with the Chiefs, who will inevitably be one of the AFC's biggest threats, and the Patriots are going to likely struggle to shut down opposing running backs once again, just to get beaten by the ground game week after week.
Obviously, the hope is that won't happen when the starters are on the field. But from what we've seen, it doesn't look promising. Tonga was a game-changer, and now he's going to be that for an AFC powerhouse, which is the last thing any Patriots fan wants to see.
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