The New England Patriots have six unrestricted free agents going into the 2026 offseason. K'Lavon Chaisson, who had 10.5 sacks between the regular season and postseason, has gotten the most hype, potentially earning a deal worth up to $18 million per year, according to some predictions. Austin Hooper, Vederian Lowe, Thayer Munford, and Khyiris Tonga are likely to receive more modest contracts.
The sixth free agent, however, has been mentioned as a top candidate for the franchise tag by PFF, despite not getting as much hype as Chaisson. Jaylinn Hawkins burst on the scene this season, finishing the season with 71 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 4 interceptions. He had a respectable 11.4% missed tackle rate and allowed a 65.5% completion rate during the regular season.
Hawkins' performance was no doubt excellent relative to his play over previous years, but he also ranked highly in PFF's metrics overall. He finished as their 5th-ranked safety overall, coming in 8th in coverage grade and 2nd in run defense grade.
Ranking so highly in these metrics, it shouldn't come as a surprise that PFF believes he could become one of the league's highest paid safeties, as Bradley Locker mentions in a recent article that, "Considering the recent boost in the free-agent safety market from players like Jevon Holland, Cam Bynum and Talanoa Hufanga, the 28-year-old could get close to $20 million AAV on his new contract."
Using the franchise tag on Jaylinn Hawkins would be detrimental
It would seem out of the ordinary that retaining a defensive starter and one of the league's better safeties from 2025 would hurt the team, but utilizing such a rich contract on Jaylinn Hawkins would stunt the team's growth. As things stand, the exclusive franchise tag value for safeties is just shy of $20.8 million.
The Patriots currently sit at just under $38.6 million in effective cap space, or cap space after accounting for the salaries of 2026 NFL Draft picks. Using the tag on Hawkins would account for almost 54% of New England's effective cap space. In other words, the Patriots would be down to less than $20 million in money to spend in free agency before they improve a roster with several meaningful holes.
Furthermore, the Patriots have 12 draft picks as things stand. They found a gem in fourth-round pick Craig Woodson last season, and perhaps they could do so again if Hawkins' price is too rich. I recently had New England select two safeties on Day 3 of a recent mock draft, Texas Tech's Cole Wisniewski and Missouri's Jalen Catalon: perhaps they believe they can get the best out of Day 3 players once again?
Penn State's Zakee Wheatley has been named as a potential fit on Day 2, but if New England were to want to take a big swing, Toledo's Emmanuel McNeil-Warren could be an incredible addition with his size and athleticism at No. 31.
Free agency could also offer options. Giant Dane Belton and 49er Jason Pinnock could be nice additions to the defensive backfield, whether Hawkins returns or not. Hawkins is a good player, but $20 million is a price tag far too rich.
Jaylinn Hawkins' career path could be similar to Ryan Neal's
Hawkins has one year of production as a starter. That isn't an issue in itself: he was very productive during that single season, but some major parallels can be drawn to former Seahawk Ryan Neal.
Neal was PFF's highest graded safety in 2022, eclipsing 700 defensive snaps for the first time in his career. He finished with a similar number of total tackles (5 tackle difference), missed tackle rate (1.5% difference), and completion rate when targeted (1.1% difference) as Hawkins did in 2025.
While Neal was effective in Seattle, he'd play just two more years in the NFL after signing a deal worth $1.2 million with the Buccaneers. Hawkins is sure to receive more than Neal, but it shows that the market for a safety with one year of production isn't as lucrative as PFF might suggest.
Hawkins seems far more likely to receive a deal in the range of $7 to $9 million than be tagged. A quality player, no doubt, but New England overextending themselves for him would be foolish. The best course of action for the safety room would be to extend Hawkins and draft a safety to add depth. It will be interesting to see exactly what the Patriots decide to do to improve the backend of their defense.