The New England Patriots have a critical free agency period ahead of them this offseason.
With over $125 million available to spend on the open market, the door is wide open for the Patriots to make some wide-spanning improvements around the roster, and the pressure is high for this new coaching regime to lead the charge in spending some money.
This free agency class isn’t completely loaded with superstar talent, but several intriguing candidates to add to the roster will be up for grabs in the coming weeks on both sides of the ball, many of whom could make for an extremely solid addition to this New England core.
In the mind of ESPN’s Aaron Schatz, free agent tackle Ronnie Stanley could be a perfect fit for the Patriots, who’s scheduled to hit the open market with a chance to join a new team after spending his first nine seasons in Baltimore.
“The Patriots pretty much need everything except a quarterback, but the offensive line issues stood out this past season,” Schatz said. “New England will need to improve the offensive line with both free-agent signings and draft picks, and Stanley should be its first move. Stanley had a down season in 2023 but rebounded in 2024, ranking 12th in pass block win rate. According to Roster Management System, no team has more cap space than the Patriots, so they can offer Stanley a big contract. There might be some worry because he’ll be 31, but there aren’t really good young tackles on the market except for Jedrick Wills Jr., who has major injury questions.”
The Patriots undoubtedly need some help on the offensive line after what was showcased across the 2024 campaign. New England’s offense was under constant disarray upfront, leading to a shaky pass attack and inconsistent run game.
A surefire way of addressing those needs could be bringing in one of the best veteran left tackles in the league.
Stanley, who had some previous availability concerns, was a staple of consistency on the Ravens offensive line in 2024, starting all 17 games to retain his place as Baltimore’s long-standing blindside protector for Lamar Jackson.
A signing of Stanley would be an invaluable addition to the progression of Drake Maye and the entire offense. Maye has a strong ability to avoid pressure and be dynamic as a runner to mitigate the Patriots’ offensive line instability, but the more protection he has, the better for everyone involved.
Stanley is entering his age-31 season in 2025 but is still widely considered one of the best tackles in the NFL. Based on last year’s production, he looks to have some juice left in the tank for the foreseeable future, so the Patriots could be confident in handing him a significant contract, plugging him in on the left side of the line and keeping Maye under less duress.
Time will tell if Mike Vrabel and Co. are fortunate enough to land Stanley in the coming weeks, but if they do, this Patriots offseason could become a major win very quickly.
