3 former Patriots who are still surprisingly free agents

Heading into this year's offseason, the Patriots had a lot of players set to hit free agency or even be released under the new incoming staff. There were several crucial players who needed to be re-signed, nearly all of which were, and the list of players let go was mostly expected.

But a few those who became free agents weren't, with at least three remaining free agents nearly two months after hitting the market.

There's a chance any and all could potentially make their way back to New England, mainly in a depth role, which is why it's mostly surprising that they remain unsigned by any team in the NFL.

3 former Patriots who are still surprisingly free agents

S Adrian Phillips

It was a bit of a shocking move when the Patriots cut ties with safety Adrian Phillips, who was a significant signing when he joined the team in 2020. He played a prominent role in the secondary, particularly in his first two seasons. And then, his usage began to dwindle in 2022 and 2023 without much reasoning.

Phillips is still a good player and was expected to find another team fairly easily in free agency. That hasn't been the case, as he remains a free agent nearly two months after being released.

So maybe he will ultimately return to New England as a solid depth piece under Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers.