Let’s be honest with ourselves: the Patriots need pretty much everything except a quarterback this offseason. In fact, they should be grateful to Drake Maye for saving them the trouble of finding another QB in a weak 2025 class. But a QB alone cannot win you games. Yes, they are the most important piece of your puzzle. However, at the end of the day it’s a team effort. Take for instance, if Maye isn’t protected in the pocket, neither will he find his targets nor will the Patriots ever win a game. That’s why the first thing Mike Vrabel is trying to do is find an offensive tackle. And interestingly, the one they identified spent his whole career in Baltimore.
Ronnie Stanley, whom the Ravens drafted 6th overall in 2016, is soon expected to hit the free agency market for the first time in his career. So, of course, the Patriots are taking a keen interest in the prospect of signing a veteran to kickstart their rebuild. However, the Ravens still have the upper hand in keeping Stanley in Baltimore. They have 9 days until March 12th when the free agency market opens. Maybe in that window they can work something out to keep Stanley on board. Considering their GM Eric DeCosta feels confident in holding on to Stanley. Who knows the Ravens could pour cold water on the Patriots’ No.1 free agent target.
But they need to hurry. Time is of the essence for the Ravens. Once Stanley hits free agency, there’s no way he will go back to Baltimore. Why? Because the Patriots have all the cards necessary to give Stanley what he wants. As Mike Reiss of ESPN stated, “The Patriots intend to aggressively pursue Ronnie Stanley the moment he hits free agency.” Like the Patriots have more than $125M cap space—so money won’t be an issue for them. And considering the Ravens had just cut Stanley’s salary by $7.5M last year. There’s a huge probability he won’t be getting the deal he wants in Baltimore.
If Ravens Let Ronnie Stanley Hit Free Agency, Patriots Expected To ‘Aggressively Pursue’ Him #Steelers #NFL #Pittsburgh https://t.co/iZEzu2LF88
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) March 3, 2025
And there’s an expectation that Stanley might be looking for a contract upwards of $20M per season. Coming off a Pro Bowl year playing all 17 games with a pass block rate that stood 12th in the league. Stanley is hitting free agency at the right time in his career. Yes, he will be 31 soon and also comes with a long injury history. But getting him in Maye O-line to protect his blind side would be huge. Maye already has a knack for avoiding sacks using his quick thinking. So, Stanley can only help him improve further and the whole offense in general.
Actually, the Patriots aren’t just planning to aggressively pursue Ronnie Stanley to help Maye. They are also looking to bring a former Super Bowl Champion through the doors of Foxboro.
Patriots to target Tom Brady’s former teammate
If not for a season-ending ankle injury in October, Chris Godwin would probably have had a triple crown year. Like in just 7 games, Godwin had 50 receptions, 575 yards and 5 TDs. He was on his way to a career-high year until an ankle injury took everything away. Now, his eight-year stay with the Bucs could also come to an end because of his constant trouble with injuries. Yes, Godwin has been superb whenever healthy averaging 87 receptions for 1,065 yards and 5 TDs for the last 5 seasons. But he has only played 3 full seasons since joining the Bucs in 2017.
Injuries are the only concern for which the Bucs may be looking to move on from him. And if they do, the Patriots are waiting in the wings to grasp the opportunity of signing him. See, the Pats tried everything they could to poach Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. Once he got franchise tagged (again) they had to look for other options. And Godwin is the only other receiver who comes with heaps of experience in the league. Of course, Baker Mayfield wouldn’t want to lose his offensive weapon. But the Patriots could offer a fresh start to the Bucs receiver. Like I said, they have the money.
What the Bucs can offer the Patriots can double it and could still have a lot left in their purse. So, only time will tell whether money will be enough to land their top targets once the free agency market opens on March 12th. If not, then you know what others will say “Money can’t buy you success.” Period.
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