The Patriots must reload.

Fortunately for their fans, after a 4-13 finish last season and zero playoff wins in five years, the Pats are flush with salary cap space with NFL free agency beginning next week.

With over $100 million in room, the Patriots have the most cap room in the league and need to start spending cash to hit the league’s spending floor. The NFL’s open tampering period begins Monday at noon ET, when teams are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents. The new league year officially begins Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, when teams are able to execute a new contract with free agents.

After parting ways with Bill Belichick this offseason, they have new leadership in head coach Jerod Mayo and director of scouting — and de facto general manager — Eliot Wolf, who brought on an almost entirely new staff on offense and a supplemented defensive staff.

The team hit rock bottom in 2023 and now has needs across a mostly barren roster. To preview free agency, the Herald is publishing daily stories about free agents at key positions of need.

Tight end

If the season started today, the Patriots could manage to cobble together a depth chart at most positions using the 53 players currently on the roster. That is not the case at tight end, where only La’Michael Pettway, a 26-year-old college wide receiver who has bounced from the defunct The Spring League to the USFL and has no NFL experience, is under contract for the 2024 season.

Related Articles

Patriots free agency preview: 6 wide receivers who could fit in New England

Patriots place transition tag on Kyle Dugger; what it means

Patriots 2024 NFL mock draft: Run on offensive players starts with QB

Patriots free agency preview: Three QBs who could pair with new OC

Sources: Patriots offer free-agent WR Kendrick Bourne contract, AFC East suitors may loom

The Patriots have three tight ends set to hit free agency in Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki and Pharaoh Brown. Brown would be the easiest player to bring back to provide depth. Henry signed a three-year contract worth $12.5 million per year in 2021 and would likely need to take a pay cut to return. Gesicki, who signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract last offseason, would also likely need to lesser salary to come back.

So, it seems the most likely path is that the Patriots start fresh with a top tight end. Here are their top options in free agency with Dalton Schultz now off of the market.

Noah Fant (Seahawks)

Fant has not lived up to his first-round billing since coming out of Iowa in 2019, but he’s still only 26 years old and has five straight seasons of 400-plus yards with 14 career touchdowns.

Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (87) avoids a tackle from Cleveland Browns linebacker Sione Takitaki (44) as safety Grant Delpit (22) looks on during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Seattle. The Seahawks won 24-20. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Fant is undersized but has proven to be an adequate run blocker with the Broncos and Seahawks. Despite only middling receiving production, Fant still has the highest upside of any free agent in this class.

If you’re looking for a connection to the Patriots, quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney was on the Broncos’ staff when Fant was a rookie.

Gerald Everett (Chargers)

With 284 career receptions for 2,833 yards with 19 touchdowns in seven seasons, the 29-year-old has capably proven to be a receiving threat in the NFL.

Everett is older than Fant but of a similar ilk as an undersized pass-catching tight end. He’ll likely come with a lesser APY.

Colby Parkinson (Seahawks)

Parkinson had some buzz at the NFL Scouting Combine as a player teams were planning to target in free agency. Still only 25 years old, the 6-foot-7, 251-pound tight end could break out in a less crowded tight end group.

Sharing time with Fant and Will Dissly, who is also set to be a free agent, Parkinson was a solid run blocker and caught 25 passes for 247 yards with two touchdowns.

Adam Trautman (Broncos)

Trautman was a popular pick for the Patriots in 2020 mock drafts, but he hasn’t lived up to some of his hype as a pass-catcher, hauling in 82 passes for 845 yards with seven touchdowns over four seasons.

He is an adept blocker, however, and at 27 years old still has some room for development.

Patriots tight ends coach Bob Bicknell was on the Saints’ staff in 2022 when Trautman was on the roster.

Austin Hooper (Raiders)

This will be Hooper’s ninth NFL season, and he’s still just 29 years old. He was coached by Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt in 2020 and 2021.

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Austin Hooper (81) warms up before an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday Nov. 12, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Hooper has bounced from the Falcons to the Browns, Titans and Raiders and has 364 career catches for 3,702 yards with 25 touchdowns. He likely could be signed relatively cheap on a one-year contract.

Logan Thomas (Commanders)

Thomas was released by the Commanders last week. The former college quarterback proved he could still be a receiving threat in 2023 with 55 catches for 496 yards with four touchdowns.

Thomas will be 33 years old during the 2024 season.