6 Patriots players and coaches who won't be back in 2024, and 2 who will

Edge rusher Josh Uche will not return in 2024

A season after finally breaking out, edge rusher Josh Uche looked to make it two strong seasons in a row with the Patriots. New England did not extend him during the offseason, but instead took a chance and allowed Uche to enter the final year of his deal before making a long-term decision.

Uche's career started out rocky, as he wasn't always able to stay healthy, and already this season he found himself with a foot injury. Although it wasn't too serious, it was still somewhat alarming and should make it easier for the Patriots to move on. Uche has just 2.0 sacks to this point in the season and, with the Patriots already financially committed to Matthew Judon, it wouldn't make sense to offer him a long-term deal.

Quarterback Mac Jones will not return in 2024

This is the season we're starting to see teams truly figure out if they're going to stick with their quarterback out of that 2021 draft class, and not all of these stories are the same. For the Patriots, it really does have to do with performance.

Mac Jones simply isn't "it." He is not an NFL starting quarterback. Now, could he be an excellent backup in this league for years to come? Absolutely. But, can he be a guy who is the reason why a team makes a Super Bowl run? Unfortunately not. And, the numbers speak for themselves. Jones has been mediocre, at best, this season.