At this point in the NFL offseason, there aren't many free agent players that teams view as desirable and look to sign them. There are, however, a few top-name players who remain available and will likely find a team to sign with as training camp begins. Some of those players, like Keenan Allen and Amari Cooper, could be on the Patriots' radar, but if not, they certainly are somewhere else around the league.
Then there are a few former Patriots who are still without a team for the 2025 season, with some speculation about them potentially returning to Foxboro, like Ja'Whaun Bentley or Matthew Judon.
However, another ex-Patriot, Nick Folk, is one name that is shockingly still unsigned, despite having back-to-back seasons that would be among the best years of his impressive 17-year career. That should make him a prime candidate for a team to, at the very least, invite him to training camp to see what he has left in the tank, as many teams are likely hesitant to sign him since he is 40 years old.
Regardless, there's no reason for a player of Folk's caliber to watch training camp from the outside looking in.
Nick Folk should be on an NFL team for the 2025 season - no questions asked
As one of the better free agent signings by Bill Belichick in the latter half of his New England tenure, it's almost unfathomable that he remains unsigned for the season ahead. It looked like a big mistake for the Patriots to let him go in 2023 in favor of rookie Chad Ryland, as Folk went on to only miss one field goal the entire season compared to Ryland's nine.
It looks even more foolish for teams to look elsewhere for a kicker when he repeated that performance for the Titans last year.
Folk missed just one field goal again in 2024, and didn't miss a single extra point. To make that even better, he made all six attempts of 50+ yard field goals, ensuring the Titans didn't regret bringing him back for another season.
If the Patriots hadn't just drafted their next (hopeful) superstar kicker in Andy Borregales, there would be plenty of reason to argue they should bring Folk back, especially since Mike Vrabel was the head coach in Tennessee when he first arrived two years ago. Instead, another team around the league should prioritize signing Folk, as special teams is an essential part of any NFL game.
It's not often you come across a kicker as accurate as he is, even more so this late in his career. Given that he isn't an incredibly physical player, his age shouldn't be a factor, but his accuracy and consistency should, so inviting him to training camp would be a sensible gesture, at the very least.