Top Free Agents Patriots Must Prioritize in 2024 NFL Offseason

The New England Patriots will soon enter the 2024 offseason as one of the most interesting teams in the league.

If the rumors are to be believed, the Pats will be parting ways with future Hall of Fame coach Bill Belichick. The coach/general manager has been the man steering the football decision and strategy for more than 20 years with six Super Bowl titles to show for it.

However, the magic of those seasons is well-worn at this point. The Patriots have only made the postseason once in the last four years and they are in contention to have one of the top picks in the draft.

Before the front office figures out what they'll do with the draft, they'll have to devise a strategy to make the most of the $75.1 million in salary cap space they will have, per Spotrac.

Here's a look at the three free agents they should prioritize signing come March.

When building a championship roster, teams need to have answers at the game's premium positions. On defense, that means cornerback and edge rusher.

Defending top receiving threats and getting after the quarterback are cornerstones of modern NFL defenses. As the Patriots have found out this season, struggling at both positions means a struggling defense.

That's been particularly true at cornerback where they've tried a ton of players with middling results. They even brought back J.C. Jackson when he was released by the Chargers.

Christian Gonzalez could still be answer at one of the starting spots. The rookie showed promise in four games before a shoulder injury placed him on injured reserve.

But it really takes two dependable cornerback to build an elite defense. L'Jarius Sneed has proven he can be that kind of player in his time with the Chiefs. He came in ranked No. 11 on our initial free agency big board, however, with Chris Jones headlining the Chiefs free agency class there's a chance they'll be willing to let him walk.

He's a physical corner who would be easy to build the secondary around.

Sticking with the theme of defensive players you can build around, the Patriots should be interested in any and all pass-rushers who are available on the market. However, it's the Jacksonville Jaguars pass-rushing specialist that should have their attention.

The Patriots have their own edge defender who is sure to draw some interest on the market. Josh Uche is only 25 years old and broke out last season with 11.5 sacks. The problem is that he's only had three quarterback takedowns this season and he's only ever played 38 percent of the snaps in any season.

While Uche is really a part-time player, Allen plays a much larger portion of the snaps. He's been on the field for 78.3 percent of the Jaguars defensive snaps this season. Only four players have bene ont he field more.

Allen is having a breakout campaign in 2023. He's posted 13.5 sacks and is the most important player on the Jaguars defense.

That makes it more likely that he's headed for the franchise tag, but the Jaguars also have to consider what they are going to do with Calvin Ridley, so they may go that direction with the tag.

If Allen is allowed to hit the open market then he would immediately become the top priority for the Patriots.

There are a lot of questions surrounding the Patriots quarterback situation next season. Whether they will ride with Mac Jones, make a run at Kirk Cousins in free agency or draft a blue-chip prospect is probably the most important question for their rebuild.

But if they don't upgrade the receiver room the answer probably doesn't matter in 2024.

Mac Jones has likely played himself out of the position, but he also didn't have a great supporting cast. Demario Douglas has been the most productive receiver on the team, while the 5'8", 192-pound sixth-round pick should be commended for what he's done, he's not exactly a scary No. 1 option.

Finding a No. 1 in free agency isn't an opportunity that comes around every year. Last season the top receiver options were Jakobi Meyers, Allen Lazard and JuJu Smith-Schuster. They are solid options to varying degrees, but best used as second or third options.

That will change this offseason with Tee Higgins having the ability to be a bonafide No. 1 receiver. The 6'4", 219-pound receiver would be the top option for a lot of NFL clubs but with Ja'Marr Chase on the Bengals roster, Higgins is second fiddle.

Higgins boasts a massive catch radius, runs a full route tree and can win one-on-one matchups that force the defense to adjust.

In short, he's the kind of receiver the Patriots haven't had in a long time. He would help unlock the potential of whoever is throwing passes for New England next season.