2 best players Patriots must target during 2026 NFL free agency

The sheen of the 2005 season is starting to fade already for the New England Patriots. After rising from last place in the AFC East to AFC champions in just one season, the congratulations and the pats on the back have started to come to a halt. While the Patriots can still feel good about their accomplishments, the team must prepare for the 2026 season.

The NFL’s League Year begins March 11 and teams can start talking to potential free agents March 9 at the legal tampering period gets underway. The Patriots have already started to make moves, and many more are expected in the days and weeks ahead. The team has announced that wide receiver Stefon Diggs would not be back and the Patriots have also traded center Garrett Bradbury to the Chicago Bears.

The Patriots were the beneficiaries of the easiest schedule in the NFL last season. Not only did they have a fourth-place schedule, they rarely faced any opponents that had winning records or were on the way to competing in the postseason. Head coach Mike Vrabel and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf are very aware of the advantages the Patriots had last year and they know they can’t count on the team getting multiple breaks in 2026.

As a result, they have to be active in the 2026 offseason to ensure that the team can compete with the Buffalo Bills in the division and have another chance to earn a spot in the NFL playoffs. Multiple moves have to be made in order to keep the team on track. The Patriots have more than $43 million in cap space available, but that money disappears quickly when new players are signed. Wolf and Vrabel clearly have key decisions to make.

Patriots must take a look at tight end Cade Otton of Buccaneers

The Patriots have to make sure that the tight end position is accounted for in the 2026 season and beyond. Hunter Henry has been a solid contributor at the spot, but he is entering his 11th season. Henry is under contract for one more season, but there is an opt-out clause in his contract that is scheduled to carry an $11.75 million cap hit. Additionally, Austin Hooper is also headed for free agency. He is also headed into his 11th season and he caught 21-263-2 a year ago.

There are a number of tight ends to consider, but Otton may turn out to be a tremendous fit while working with Maye. The 6-5, 247-pound Otton has had four excellent years in Tampa Bay, and perhaps the most notable aspect has been his consistency. Otton caught 59 passes for 572 yards and 1 touchdown last season, and that came a year after he caught 59-600-4.

Throughout his four years in the league, he has caught 207-2,018-11 and he has never caught fewer than 42 passes in any of his four seasons. The 26-year-old was a 4th-round draft choice of the Bucs, and it seems clear that he is going to be able to command an excellent contract as he moves into free agency.

It seems clear that Otton would be an excellent fit for the Patriots because he knows how to get open and make key catches that allow his team to keep drives alive.

Alec Pierce has big-play ability

The Patriots got excellent production from Stefon Diggs as he was the team’s leading receiver with 85-1,013-4 as he was targeted by Maye 102 times. He had 17 receptions of 20 yards or more and 51 of his catches resulted in first downs.

However, Diggs had off-the-field issues and the team has decided not to bring him back. He had signed a 3-year, $69 million deal a year ago and he would have cost $26.5 million if the Patriots had retained him. The Patriots will free up nearly $17 million with the release, but it will also cost the team $9.7 million in dead money.

The Patriots can look at multiple receivers to replace him, but Alec Pierce of the Indianapolis Colts may be the best choice. He is one of the most dangerous big-play threats in the league as he caught 47-1,003-6 last year and averaged a league-best 21.3 yards per catch.

His production and big-play ability is anything but flukish. He also led the league with a 22.3 yard reception average in 2024. The 25-year-old Pierce is a speedster with size. He checks in at 6-3 and 213 pounds and he has clearly paid dividends to the Colts in his four years with the team since he was selected out of Cincinnati in the second round of the 2022 Draft.

The Patriots are likely to have additional needs besides the tight end and the wide receiver positions, but those are two that the team should be able to address at the start of free agency.

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