NFL teams that do great things do so with great players on board. If you have them, you have a chance; if you don't, you won't. It ain't rocket science, just fundamental NFL doctrine. The Patriots' roster over the past five years has been depleted of that kind of player, and poor personnel management did little to remedy that situation.
The good news is that the most critical position player on the team, the quarterback, is on the verge of stardom and more. Drake Maye was the only excellent decision the Patriots made in the 2024 offseason. But it was a perfect one. He's poised for a monster 2025 season.
Thanks in large part to owner Robert Kraft, any silly suggestions to trade the third overall pick were trashed. They took Maye. They won't regret it. Maye has All-Pro potential. He can do it all. But after Maye and Christian Gonzalez, the team has no other big-time superstars on the roster. They could use additional.
The Patriots should use their remaining cap space on a superstar player
Having a super defensive player on the edge is a coach's dream. They make big plays, aka sacks, and those plays change games. The Patriots upped their edge game this offseason by signing top sack-producer, free agent Harold Landry III, and promising K'Lavon Chaisson. Both are major improvements over any of the 2024 edge players.
In addition, they drafted an edge with nice potential in LSU's Bradyn Swinson. All good there. Yet, adding a super edge would be a fabulous signing. There's one who may be available in Cincinnati. He's having a contract squabble with the Bengals, and the Patriots have the exquisite luxury of available cap space.
Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox has noted one player from each NFL team that should be trade bait before the season. The one from Cincinnati, pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, should be of prime interest to the Patriots.
"The Cincinnati Bengals should have paid pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson at the beginning of the offseason, when he requested a new contract or a trade...If the Bengals and Hendrickson aren't close to an agreement, Cincinnati should make the 30-year-old available at a reasonable price point—they have listened to offers this offseason but have not been reasonable in their demands...At this point, a reasonable offer would be far more valuable to the Bengals than a star who won't play on his current contract."
The Patriots should pounce on making a blockbuster trade for a real game-changer
Trey Hendrickson is a superstar edge player. Any team would be happy to have him. The Patriots should be thrilled to pay the freight to acquire him, including the contract cost. He's the real deal and exactly what the team needs to take an already solid defense to a whole new level.
Hendrickson is an eight-year NFL veteran, so he's not the youngest player around. He'll be 31 in December. But he's one of the best. In 2023 and 2024, he averaged 17.5 sacks. That's 35 sacks over two years. In those two seasons, he also had nine passes defended and five forced fumbles.
Those are big plays, game-changers, and they win games. The Patriots lacked those attributes for the past several years, except when Matt Judon was healthy. Now, they can use that production to help them win, make the playoffs, and more. There would be few better players to spend the team's bountiful cap space on than Hendrickson.
Over the Cap has pegged the Patriots' current available cap space at $59,850.850. Money in an NFL team's bank can't make tackles, block for the quarterback, or catch passes. Owner Robert Kraft has bemoaned the past two seasons as his worst in memory. He can do something about it.
While there are several stars (Terry McLaurin also comes to mind) who'd be great additions, Trey Hendrickson would be almost as good a defensive addition as former NFL edge player Mike Vrabel could envision. It may take a first-round pick, maybe more picks, and/or a player or two to get the deal done. Whatever it takes, Vrabel should go for it. A 2026 draft pick won't help the 2025 season at all.