Patriots' Most Obvious Offseason Target Is Former Division Rival, First-Round Pick

Patriots' Most Obvious Offseason Target Is Former Division Rival, First-Round Pick originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New England Patriots have plenty of positions to address during free agency: edge, wide receiver, offensive line, linebacker, tight end.

It’s not going to be easy to check all of those boxes, though...

If the club intends on putting itself in a position to regularly contend, it will have to put together another near-flawless offseason -- which starts with addressing the need for a pass-rusher by signing Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jaelan Phillips.

Let's take a look!

Bio:

Jaelan Phillips
Position: EDGE
Height: 6’ 5"
Weight: 266lbs
2026 Age: 27 (May 28, 1999)
2025: 17 G, 5.0 SACKS, 14 QB HITS, 78 TFL

The Patriots should sign Jaelan Phillips because:

I've already laid out the argument for completely revamping this specific position group, but the fact of the matter is that they're not going to clean house...

K'Lavon Chaisson and Anfernee Jennings might not be sticking around, but they have something to work with in/have no choice but to retain the likes of Harold Landry III, Elijah Ponder and Bradyn Swinson. If they do make any moves, it will likely involve targeting someone with upside while also avoiding those over-the-top moves that seemingly never work out -- sorry, Maxx Crosby.

Phillips has proven that, when healthy, he's the type of player who can be equally as impactful rushing the passer and stopping the run -- which has led to three seasons where he eclipsed 5.0 sacks and 7.0 tackles for loss while playing 70% of his club's defensive snaps (2022, 2023, 2025). The Patriots sure could use someone like that...

Jaelan Phillips breaks through for the sack!

DETvsPHI on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/f7jDLYG550

— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2025

The Patriots should not sign Jaelan Phillips because:

It's probably going to take more than one...

Phillips is expected to command $23 million in average annual value, according to Bleacher Report. If that's what it takes, you can kiss doing anything else of note goodbye. The Patriots will ultimately have to choose where they want to make their splash move, but given how many spots could use an upgrade, you can't guarantee it will come in the form of pass-rush help.

It's much more likely that they sign an immediate impact pass-rusher (Al-Quadin Muhhamad, Malcolm Koonce) and draft someone to develop in the earlier rounds.

Best Fits:

1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. New England Patriots
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Patriots should do everything in their power to make this thing happen, and given who the other best fits are, they should have enough money to make sure they get it done.

More NFL: Patriots Offseason Preview: Everything Team Must Address In 2026