The 2025 Patriots will look a lot different than the lackluster 2024 version. New Head Coach (and de facto GM?) Mike Vrabel has already put a heavy stamp on his roster in free agency. The guess is that many more changes will occur as this is the most critical offseason since the last offseason transpired.
The 2024 Patriots' offseason was an amateurish attempt to do who knows what. The team re-signed several of their better players, and they all seemed to regress. Indeed, a few were noted as possible trade targets. One very overpaid player, nose tackle Davon Godchaux, was moved to New Orleans for a measly seventh-round pick. The benefit will be mostly on next year's cap.
Thus far, others who underperformed, like running back Rhamondre Stevenson, safety Kyle Dugger, and guard Mike Onwenu, remain on the roster. We'll see if that situation continues as we approach the end of free agency and the draft. Yet, more players may be included on the trade list due to a major change in defensive philosophy. They are linebackers, and the topic to be explored here.
Mike Vrabel is changing not only players but an entire defensive system
Mike Vrabel's significant free agency moves have been mostly on defense. Most additions seem to fit a philosophical change in how the team's defense will approach 2025. The emphasis may move off a two-gap system where blockers are engaged upfront, and linebackers clean up plays to one where the defensive front penetrates gaps and disrupts the offensive flow.
The personnel who implement such a change also differ. Big space-eating defensive tackles like Godchaux will give way to more agile and mobile penetrators. Those include the Pats' new big-money signing, Milton Williams, and two players already on the team, Christian Barmore and Keion White. All three can implement Vrabel's likely defensive philosophy of attacking first as opposed to reacting.
Another signing, Robert Spillane, also fits the profile. He's a more undersized, more mobile linebacker who'll fly around the field making tackles. That's where the dichotomy between several current Patriot linebackers and the Spillane variety enters the discussion.
The Pats currently have three bigger, off-the-ball linebackers on the squad: Ja'Whaun Bentley, 250 pounds, Jahlani Tavai, 255 pounds, and Anfernee Jennings, 255 pounds. Bentley, who's coming off a serious injury, and Tavai have been productive in their roles in the Bill Belichick system. But they likely won't fit the Vrabel dynamic since their speed and athleticism will be lacking.
Expect subtractions from the Patriots linebacking corps
Vrabel is already putting his stamp on the defense. The three aforementioned linebackers don't fit the new model. The expectation is that one or two of those mentioned may not be with the squad in September. As suggested about the underperforming players given extensions last off-season, don't be shocked if more players are shipped out before the draft.
Bentley is the best player of the three, though he's coming off an injury that limited him to only two games in 2024. He'll also be 29 in August. It won't be a shock if he's on the trading block, but he's probably the least likely of the three.
Tavai is another matter altogether. He'll also be 29 this season. He had a decent season with 115 total tackles and five passed defended, but only one lone sack in 2024. In addition, Tavai publicly called out the Patriots' fandom for booing the team at Gillette Stadium. This was reported by Matthew Schmidt of si.com,
"New England Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai caused quite a stir when he criticized Patriots fans for booing and chanting for head coach Jerod Mayo to be fired last week, saying that the fans need to 'know their place.'"
This won't help Tavai. And, if the signing of Jack Gibbons, former Titans linebacker takes place, he could be shipped out. It's never a great idea to criticize fans for booing. It's especially questionable if your team is heading for the bottom of the division and potentially the entire NFL.
Jennings is a former third-round pick who's never done much of anything. He had 78 stops in 2024 but only 2.5 sacks. That production isn't going to move the needle for Vrabel, who's looking for impact players who can fly around the field and make plays.
This adds up to one likely conclusion: Patriots Nation shouldn't be shocked if one or two of the linebackers discussed here are moved before the draft. They don't fit Vrabel's system. Even if the Pats only get the equivalent of a bag of footballs, as Godchaux did, they're off the books, and the Head Coach will fit in players more compatible with his system. It is what it is: NFL reality.