5 Patriots players who need to be gone before the 2024 season begins

Patriots need to move on from running back Ezekiel Elliott

Elliott is a free agent so that he could sign elsewhere anyway, but New England does not need to bring him back. He led the team in rushing and, sadly, receptions, but that is because someone had to run the ball after Rhamondre Stevenson got injured and catch check-down passes after the quarterbacks had no open receivers and little time to throw.

Elliott did outperform arguably every other Patriots offensive player, but that was not because he was overly good. He averaged just 3.5 yards per rush and 6.1 yards per reception. Elliott averaged just 4.1 yards per touch. He looked old and not nearly as fast as he once was. The Dallas Cowboys used him up, and New England should find his replacement in the fourth round (or later) of the 2024 NFL draft.

New England needs to not have wide receiver DeVante Parker anymore

Some one - Belichick? - did love those prior Miami Dolphins offensive players. Another former Dolphin I do not have on this list, but could, is tight end Mike Gesicki. Thankfully, Gesicki is a free agent this offseason, and Parker needs to be one as well. New England massively overpaid for the receiver, but he proved in 2023 he is incapable of creating space for quarterbacks on his own. He is simply a siphon of money.

He will remain in 2024, and his dead cap is $6,333,334, but his yearly cash is only $5 million. This past season, Parker only had a success rate on his receptions of 49.1 percent. While that is his lowest number since 2018, he has only exceeded 53.1 percent twice in his career.

He also will be 31 years old during the 2024 season. More than money and the non-savings of releasing Parker, he is simply taking up a roster spot from someone more likely to help the team.