The New England Patriots have a ton cash at their disposal this offseason.
When stacked against the rest of the NFL, the Patriots stand out among the crowd with the most cap space, emerging with over $100 million to spend in free agency. As a result, this team has the potential to be one of the biggest spenders of the offseason and bring in some of the top talent available on the open market to fill the roster’s several needs.
Of those needs that could get some notable attention on the free agent market could be the offensive line –– one of the Patriots’ worst units across the 2024 season. To their delight, New England may have some appealing options to sign on the front lines to help mitigate the issues faced last season.
Among those fits on the table for New England, one could be longtime Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley. Zoltan Buday of Pro Football Focus sees the Patriots and Stanley as a potential match ahead of this offseason’s free agency period.
“The Patriots have the cap space to sign virtually any offensive lineman, and with needs across the entire unit, there’s no reason they shouldn’t pursue the best available tackle — Baltimore’s Ronnie Stanley… Though Stanley hasn’t been the same since his significant injury in 2020 and will turn 31 in March, he showed durability in 2024, logging a career-high 1,221 snaps. He also delivered arguably his best season since 2019, when he was the second-highest-graded tackle in the NFL. The Notre Dame product finished this past season with a 72.8 PFF overall grade and an 80.9 PFF pass-blocking grade—both of which would have been the highest marks on New England’s offensive line.”
It would be well-within the Patriots’ best interest to address the offensive line this offseason, and bringing in one of the best and established tackles money can buy on the market would be a strong way of doing so.
The Patriots’ issues on the offensive line are especially prominent at left tackle. New England cycled through players like Vederian Lowe, Chuk Okorafor, and Caedan Wallace who weren’t too inspiring, and as Drake Maye continues to develop into this franchise’s future quarterback, ironing out that aspect of his protection is critical.
Staley could be a major help for New England’s pending rebuild of the offensive line, being one of the league’s better pass blockers, and also bringing durability, consistency, and unique experience into the fold.
By adding Stanley, the Patriots would bring a cornerstone among one of the league’s more effective offenses in recent league history into their own regime. Prying him away from Baltimore –– the only home he’s known throughout his nine seasons in the NFL –– could be a tough task.
New England has the money to make it happen. The bigger question relies on whether they’ll be aggressive enough to spend it.
