This summer, keeping the older players the new management saw as future building blocks was the Patriots’ main goal.

Despite the team’s dismal performance a year ago, the squad that previous head coach Bill Belichick and other front-office personnel built wasn’t completely dismantled. Rather, certain spaces were thought of more as remodeling projects.

Head coach Jerod Mayo and personnel executive Eliot Wolf haven’t taken the building down to the ground, much like when you flip a fixer-upper house. Josh Uche, Anfernee Jennings, and safety Kyle Dugger were among the defense’s solid core players who were re-signed. The defense finished ninth in defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA) in 2023. Christian Barmore, an ascending inside pass-rusher, was also extended by the Pats.

After finishing the previous season with an average of 13.9 points, offensively, there was still more to be done. Under offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, New England has a completely new coaching staff. Maye, the quarterback, was taken with the third overall pick in the draft, and Maye was given several rookie playmakers who double-dip at wide receiver (Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker).


However, the Patriots did not start from scratch offensively either, as the organization’s senior executives prioritized holding onto one unrestricted free player in particular. Director of scouting Eliot Wolf described star offensive lineman Mike Onwenu as a “cornerstone” talent for New England during the NFL Scouting Combine in February.

“It’s no secret we want to try to keep Mike,” Wolf stated. “He’s certainly someone we view as a cornerstone for us.”

The Patriots swiftly signed Onwenu to a rumored three-year, $57 million contract at the beginning of free agency. For the first time since re-signing with the team that drafted him, Onwenu discussed his thoughts for the next season and the free agency process with media.