The Patriots need a strong offseason to return to the playoffs in 2023. Letting these four free agents depart would be a strong start for New England.
Bill Belichick isn’t fond of losing and he will push the Patriots’ front office to make several win-now moves this offseason. New England will need to make quite a few clever additions to Belichick’s roster if they want to return to the playoffs next year.
The organization also needs to realize when the time is right to let some of its own free agents depart. Overpaying mediocre players is a great way for the Patriots to become mired in the middle of the NFL standings for years to come. The following four free agents should be looking for work outside of Foxborough this offseason.
4. Raekwon McMillan
The former second-round pick played in 16 games as a reserve middle linebacker for the Patriots this season but he wasn’t very effective in that limited role. Some fans might want to see him return to New England because of his name value, but overpaying a backup middle linebacker would be a costly error by the team’s front office.
After all, Ja’Whaun Bentley is one of the team’s top defenders and he should play the lion’s share of snaps at the middle linebacker spot. The Patriots can easily find a reserve capable of filling McMillan’s role from this season via a late-round draft selection or a low-cost veteran in free agency.
McMillan didn’t play well enough this season to merit a roster spot even if he’s interested in returning on a minimum deal. The Patriots need to let him walk and find an upgrade.