It is the first Patriots Journal of the off-season so here we go. Plenty to talk about in this first edition.

Cap Situation: The Patriots are expected to have roughly $40-$42 million in cap space going into the new league year but expect them to create even more cap space. Here is how:

Extend Michael Onwenu and lower his expected $25 million dollar cap hit.

Make the always difficult decision of moving on from veteran players.

Restructure contracts of players with one or more years remaining on their deal.

If they do those three things to start, they could potentially have more money to play with.

Diggs Decision: The Stefon Diggs contract situation is going to be with monitoring. One thing is certain. He is not returning to the Patriots at $25 million next season. It is too early to speculate how this ends but the Patriots moving on is a strong possibility.

Receiver Options: If the Patriots move on from Diggs, they will need to address the receiver position. One name to take off the list is Colts free agent wide receiver Alec Pierce. The Colts are fully prepared to pay market value to extend him according to reports.

Chaisson/Hawkins situation: Re-signing K’Lavon Chaisson and Jaylinn Hawkins will be priorities for the Patriots. Of the two, Hawkins is the more likely extension candidate. The Patriots will want to bring Chaisson back and he wants to come back but he will have suitors.

Gonzalez Extension: A Christian Gonzalez extension is on the horizon. It is just a matter of when. The Patriots will have plenty of examples to work with in terms of recent cornerback extensions including Houston’s Derek Stingley and Denver’s Patrick Surtain II who signed a four year, $96 million dollar extension in September of 2024. The Gonzalez extension will be in that neighborhood with a slightily higher dollar number.

Upgrading OL in free agency: If the Patriots want to upgrade at guard in free agency, the two names to keep an eye on would Chargers free agent and former Boston College standout Zion Johnson and Jets free agent Alijah Vera-Tucker. Both fit the profile of young players who are in the market for their second contract, something that would be appealing to the Patriots given the age of their roster and their window.

Super Bowl offensive adjustments: The Patriots offense was listless in Super Bowl LX. A pro personnel scout told me after watching the game that he could not believe how poorly the Patriots adjusted offensively. His exact quote to me:

“I was astonished at how predictable they were but more than anything else, they just didn’t seem to have answers, especially in the second half. New England has always been one of the best halftime adjustment teams in the league. Not last Sunday.”

The film doesn’t lie. The Patriots didn’t seem to have too many answers for Seattle’s pressures and coverages in pass protection.

Kugler leaving: Robert Kugler is leaving his post as the Patriots assistant offensive line coach to join the Pittsburgh Steelers as tight ends coach. His father Sean Kugler was the Steelers offensive line coach from 2010-2012.

Grant staying put: The Raiders interest in Patriots quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant was real. Grant ultimately declined to meet with them about their vacant offensive coordinator position and opted to stay with the Patriots. The Raiders have since hired a coordinator and Grant’s decision to stay is a smart one. He has more of an opportunity to grow here and develop as a coach.

Foundation laid: In his last press conference of the season, Mike Vrabel said he told his team that this past season was enjoyable despite the disappointing finish. He also told them it is important to build on the foundation that has been laid.

“Well, I just talked about a disappointing finish to a phenomenal, exciting, enjoyable year. It’s unfortunate. Talked to them about the foundation I think that we’ve built. Much like a home, you build a home and then run out of things to do, so you continue to add on to it, you finish the basement, you make additions to it, and we’ll try to do that to this football team. I like the foundation of it, and we’ll try to improve on it.”

Well, the opportunity to build on that foundation begins next week with the combine.