The New England Patriots’ miraculous turnaround culminated in a Super Bowl run, as they are taking on the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. While New England has exceeded all expectations this season, the front office will have some decisions to make this offseason.
The Patriots recently extended core veterans, but pending decisions at tight end, the defensive front, and the secondary will require careful cap planning and roster-value assessments as the new league year approaches. The Patriots’ 2026 free agents span offense, defense, and special teams, including unrestricted and restricted free agents.
New England Patriots’ Notable Free Agents
Offense
TE Austin Hooper – UFA
QB Tommy DeVito – RFA
LT Vederian Lowe – UFA
TE Jack Westover – ERFA
RT Thayer Munford Jr. – UFA
T Yasir Durant – RFA
RB Deneric Prince – ERFA
Defense
ED K’Lavon Chaisson – UFA
DL Khyiris Tonga – UFA
S Jaylinn Hawkins – UFA
CB Alex Austin – RFA
DL Jaquelin Roy – RFA
LB Jack Gibbens – RFA
DL Isaiah Iton – ERFA
Patriots’ 2026 Offseason Priorities
The Patriots’ 2026 defensive free-agent group is compact but impactful. K’Lavon Chaisson (EDGE), Khyiris Tonga (interior DL), and Jaylinn Hawkins (safety) are listed as UFAs, while Alex Austin (CB), Jaquelin Roy (interior DL), Jack Gibbens (LB), and Isaiah Iton (DL) carry RFA status. Spotrac’s market valuation pegs Hawkins’ average annual value at approximately $7.27 million, signaling starter-level pricing at safety following a productive season.
Chaisson and Tonga present rotational vs. starter considerations based on scheme fit, snap counts, and 2025 availability. RFAs offer club control via tender strategies aligned with role and special-teams value. Contract paths on defense often leverage one-year structures, incentives, or front-loaded bonuses to balance risk with depth preservation.
Offensively, tight end Austin Hooper is listed as a 2026 unrestricted free agent. He has served as a reliable target alongside Hunter Henry when perimeter production fluctuated, suggesting New England may evaluate a short-term re-signing depending on price and room for ascending talent. Tackle Vederian Lowe carries UFA status, with decisions typically based on swing-tackle utility and injury-replacement grades.
Restricted free agent Tommy DeVito’s tender status would reflect QB3 value, camp-competition planning, and practice-squad protection considerations. Exclusive-rights free agent Jack Westover, if retained, would remain on a near-minimum deal pending staff evaluations.
Against this backdrop, the Patriots’ cap approach for 2026 commonly rests on restructures for higher-cap starters, selective multi-year extensions with low Year 1 charges, and targeted veteran additions. Defensive priorities begin with Hawkins’ valuation at safety and interior depth via Tonga and Roy, while edge-rotation clarity around Chaisson ties into broader pressure packages.
In the secondary, an RFA tender for Austin affords roster control aligned with nickel and special-teams roles. On offense, tight end and tackle decisions hinge on price and developmental trajectory at those positions.
The team’s 2025 injury profile (e.g., Khyiris Tonga’s foot; Alex Austin’s wrist) and late-season returns (e.g., Robert Spillane) inform medical and performance risk assessments that influence offer structures. With a personnel model emphasizing internal extensions, expect New England to prioritize value signings that preserve flexibility, maintain special-teams strength, and protect core schemes under the current staff.
Super Bowl 60 Preview: Patriots vs. Seahawks
Super Bowl 60 features two of the most surprising conference champions in recent memory. The Patriots and Seahawks posted identical records during the regular season (14-3) and both quarterbacks exceeded all expectations.
Patriots QB Drake Maye finished second in MVP voting after a breakout regular season, while Seahawks QB Sam Darnold authored the league’s best redemption story.
However, both teams advanced this far in large part because of their excellent defenses, so this could be a low-scoring affair. Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks were the third-best D in the league during the regular season, according to PFSN’s Defense Impact metric, while the Patriots’ 12th-ranked defense has gotten hot at the right time.
Here’s how each overall unit and the starters from both New England and Seattle graded in PFSN’s Impact grades, giving you a player-by-player breakdown of each squad.
Offense
PFSN Offense Impact (OFFi)
NE: 86.6, B (2nd)
SEA: 79.8, C+ (9th)
PFSN Offensive Line Impact (OLi)
NE: 74.5, C (12th)
SEA: 72.0, C- (17th)
PFSN Quarterback Impact (QBi)
NE: Drake Maye (91.1, A-; 2nd)
SEA: Sam Darnold (78.7, C+; 13th)
PFSN Running Back Impact (RBi)Â
NE: Rhamondre Stevenson (54.4, F; 38th)
NE: TreVeyon Henderson (66.9, D; 17th)
SEA: Kenneth Walker III (65.8, D; 20th)
SEA: Zach Charbonnet (54.8, F; 36th) *OUT for Super Bowl*
PFSN Wide Receiver Impact (WRi)Â
NE: Stefon Diggs (87.0, B+; 4th)
NE: Kayshon Boutte (81.5, B-; 18th)
NE: DeMario Douglas (79.3, C+; 25th)
SEA: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (94.4, A; 2nd)
SEA: Cooper Kupp (73.2, C; 57th)
SEA: Rashid Shaheed (71.9, C-; 70th)
PFSN Tight End Impact (TEi)
NE: Hunter Henry (82.0, B-; 11th)
SEA: A.J. Barner (77.4, C-77.4; 21st)
PFSN player Offensive Line Impact (OLi)
LT
NE: Will Campbell (75.1, C; 39th )
SEA: Charles Cross (79.1, C+; 24th)
LG
NE: Jared Wilson (69.5, D+; 49th)
SEA: Grey Zabel (77.1, C+; 27th)
C
NE: Garrett Bradbury (80.4, B-; 19th)
SEA: Jalen Sundell (78.6, C+; 24th)
RG
NE: Mike Onwenu (87.0, B+; 5th)
SEA: Anthony Bradford (74.7, C; 36th)
RT
NE: Morgan Moses (85.2, B; 10th)
SEA: Abraham Lucas (82.5, B-; 14th)
DEFENSE
PFSN Defense Impact (DEFi)
NE: 78.2, C+ (12th)
SEA: 88.4, B+ (3rd)
PFSN EDGE Impact (EDGEi)
NE: Harold Landry III (76.3, C; 46th)
NE: K’Lavon Chaisson (76.2, C; 48th)
SEA: DeMarcus Lawrence (81.5, B-; 28th)
SEA: Uchenna Nwosu (74.0, C; 33rd)
PFSN Defensive Tackle Impact (DTi)
NE: Milton Williams (87.9, B+; 5th)
NE: Christian Barmore (78.6, C+; 28th)
SEA: Leonard Williams (84.2, B; 10th)
SEA: Byron Murphy II (81.2, B-; 16th)
PFSN Linebacker Impact (LBi)
NE: Robert Spillane (85.3, B; 17th)
NE: Jack Gibbens (70.4, C-; 52nd)
NE: Christian Elliss (62.7, D-; 70th)
SEA: Ernest Jones (89.9, B+; 4th)
SEA: Drake Thomas (77.9, C+; 33rd)
NE: Christian Elliss (62.7, D; 70th)
PFSN Cornerback Impact (CBi)
NE: Christian Gonzalez (85.7, B; 12th)
NE: Carlton Davis (78.8, C+; 37th)
NE: Marcus Jones (72.0, C-; 80th)
SEA: Tariq Woolen (81.7, B-; 27th)
SEA: Josh Jobe (81.9, B-; 26th)
SEA: Devon Witherspoon (76.2, C; 48th)
PFSN NFL Safety Impact (SAFi)
NE: Jaylinn Hawkins (76.4, C; 32nd)
NE: Craig Woodson (69.7, D+; 66th)
SEA: Julian Love (90.7, A-; 2nd)
SEA: Coby Bryant (84.0, B; 11th)
SEA: Nick Emmanwori (80.2, B-; 20th)
Super Bowl 60 Notes
- New England defeated the No. 1 (DEN), No. 2 (HOU), and No. 8 (LAC) ranked defenses on its way to winning the AFC.
- Seattle defeated the No. 1 (LAR) and No. 5 (SF) ranked offenses on its way to winning the NFC.
- ​The Patriots have allowed just two touchdowns and 26 points while forcing 8 turnovers during the playoffs. However, they have faced the 15th-ranked (DEN), 23rd-ranked (HOU), and 26th-ranked (LAC) offenses during that stretch, and the Broncos were playing with backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham.
- ​The Seahawks lead the league in third-down defense (32.3%), but they have allowed a 48% conversion rate on fourth down (T-7th). The Patriots rank 9th in third-down conversions allowed (36.9%) and 2nd on fourth down (33.3%).
- ​Seattle’s special teams have the second-best grade of the season with a 90.9 (A-), while New England is 20th (73.9 C-).
- Seattle has scored five special teams touchdowns, as well as blocking one punt and two field goals, while New England has scored three special teams touchdowns and has blocked one field goal.
- The Patriots are one of eight teams to average under 40 net yards per punt. SEA has beaten two of the other seven teams in the last two weeks. NE (2nd; 37.7) and SEA (4th; 38.7) both rank in the top four when it comes to opponent net yards per punt.
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba recorded a WRi score of 85.3 (B) against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game. It ranked 29th among players this season. In Week 12 against the Tennessee Titans, Smith-Njigba had the second-best score of the season with an 89.7 (B+). Only Puka Nacua’s 94.4 (A) WRi against Seattle in Week 16 was better.
- Smith-Njigba had the second-best season-long WRi score (94.4, A), ranking seventh since 2019.
- Stefon Diggs had the fourth-best WRi score in the league after finishing 26th and 27th the last two seasons. Diggs’ score was the 39th best since 2019, and he has four of the top 48 season scores in that time frame.
- ​Drake Maye’s QBi of 97.8 (A+) against the New York Jets in Week 17 was the top individual game PFSN’s Quarterback Impact (QBi) performance over the past 18 seasons. Since 2000, only Peyton Manning’s 99.8 (A+) QBi against the Ravens in 2007 ranks higher in a single game.
- ​Sam Darnold registered five of his top eight career QBi scores this season (94 qualified games). Darnold’s QBi (90.8, A-) in Week 5 against Washington was his career best; it was also the 57th-best score by any quarterback since 2000 (13,999 games).
- ​Mike Vrabel, with two touchdown receptions in Super Bowls, is tied for the seventh most career receiving touchdowns in Super Bowl games. Vrabel, who played over 200 career games as a linebacker, also recorded 10 touchdown catches in the regular season.
- ​Seattle led the NFL with a +191 point differential this season, while New England was third at +170. This Super Bowl matchup marks the fifth time both teams entered with a regular-season point differential of at least +170. The other matchups were Super Bowl 1 (GB-KC), Super Bowl 4 (KC-MIN), Super Bowl 19 (SF-MIA), and Super Bowl 48 (SEA-DEN).
- ​The Seahawks have yet to commit a turnover in the playoffs. Only 11 Super Bowl champions, including last season’s Philadelphia Eagles, have finished the postseason with just one turnover. Seattle is also among 17 teams in the Super Bowl era to play their first two playoff games without a turnover.
- ​The Seahawks’ DEFi score of 95.1 (A) against the Vikings in Week 13 ranked as the 12th-best individual PFSN’s Defense Impact game score across all NFL matchups since 2019 (out of 3,918 games).
- ​In nine Super Bowls with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, the Patriots had a cumulative point differential of +14, including a 10-point victory in their final Super Bowl together.
- ​The Patriots’ 14 regular-season games against teams with a losing record are the most by a team in the Super Bowl. Washington in the strike-shortened 1987 season played 13 of 15 games against losing teams, including ones with replacement players. Seattle played nine such games this season.
