Going into the 2026 offseason, the Patriots were fortunate not to have many players set to hit free agency, so they wouldn't lose many contributors from their Super Bowl appearance season.
That didn't mean they weren't going to move on from some contributors; however, one of them was Anfernee Jennings, who had been a trade candidate from the summer to the trade deadline, only to become one of the rising stars of the defense as the season progressed.
He was inevitably not retained and is now a free agent, but Chowder & Champions writer Efstathios Savvidis believes they should reconsider their stance, especially since they still need help at the linebacker position going into the draft.
"Although Jennings didn’t have a great regular season showing, he made up for it by elevating his play in the postseason. He stepped up while [Harold] Landry was sidelined, logging 16 total tackles, two sacks, and five hurries across four games. "
Considering their remaining free agent options, Savvidis' idea isn't a bad one for the Patriots' depth.
The Patriots might want to consider re-signing Anfernee Jennings
Because linebacker is considered one of their biggest needs going into the draft, it wouldn't be a bad idea for the Patriots to consider bringing back a familiar face to fill the depth chart and add some veteran security at the position.
Jennings might not be a superstar, but he was productive enough, particularly when the team needed it the most, that he would be a good rotational piece to have that always provides some consistency defensively that they might not be considering.
Since he's still a free agent and there hasn't been much said about teams being interested in signing him, they could probably re-sign Jennings to a cheaper deal, maybe just one-year, and see if he can replicate the postseason performance he put up, or even build upon it.
It seems like a safe decision for the front office to consider and help address a position of need a bit more ahead of the draft.