5 great free agents Patriots could've signed but didn't

Patriots could have signed defensive tackle Christian Wilkins

One of the more unlikely candidates to go to Foxboro, but one that most fans were hoping to see, was defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. He spent the first five years of his career with the Dolphins, who drafted him in the first round of the 2019 draft and created quite a resume during his time in South Beach.

This offseason was Wilkins' first time experiencing free agency, and he definitely did it right. He ended up signing a four-year, $110 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders, with $82.75 million guaranteed.

Yes, it's a lot of money, but he was another player the Patriots could afford had they decided to pursue him. It would've made sense, too, given that they already released veteran Lawrence Guy and are in need of a solid pass rusher to play alongside Matthew Judon, which Wilkins would have brought to the table.

Instead, they signed Armon Watts and Josh Uche to one-year deals, assumingly "prove it" contracts.