New England Patriots
The Patriots are seemingly on the market for an edge rusher as NFL free agency opens on Monday.
Boye Mafe has been a key contributor to the Seahawks’ pass rush over the last few seasons. (AP Photo/Peter Joneleit)
March 7, 2026 | 2:42 PM
2 minutes to read
The Patriots are positioned to be players in free agency following their recent string of cap-clearing moves, and one insider thinks they’ll be able to sign one of the top edge rushers available.
In a column predicting where the top 20 NFL free agents will sign, ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano has the Patriots signing Seahawks edge rusher Boye Mafe. As part of the prediction, Graziano projected that Mafe will get a three-year, $48 million contract with $25 million guaranteed.
Mafe, 27, was one of the handful of standouts along the Seahawks’ defensive line that served as a catalyst in their run to a Super Bowl title this past season. Even though he only had two sacks in 2025, he had 44 presures this past season, per Pro Football Focus.
To put in perspective how well of a pass rusher Mafe is, he logged a 17.4 percent pass rush win rate this season. That number would’ve been the best mark among all Patriots edge rushers last season, and it was only second to Milton Williams.
Mafe has been able to get sacks in the past, though. The four-year veteran had nine sacks in 2023 and six sacks in 15 games in 2024. He logged 55 pressures in that nine-sack season, adding a 13.1 pass rush win rate.
Edge rusher has been viewed as an area of need for the Patriots entering the offseason, and that’s even before they potentially lose K’Lavon Chaisson in free agency. Chaisson had a breakout campaign in his first season with New England, logging 10.5 sacks (regular season and postseason combined).
Mafe would certainly help out in some regard, but he isn’t viewed as one of the top few edge rushers available. Following the Raiders’ trade of Maxx Crosby, Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson might be the only other pass rusher considered to be elite that might move this offseason. He’ll become a free agent on Monday. Jaelan Phillips of the Eagles and Odafe Oweh of the Chargers are also considered to be two of the top three free-agent edge rushers this offseason.
While the Patriots have been linked to some of the top few free-agent edge rushers, the top pending free-agent they’ve been most linked to in recent days is Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce. Following the decision to release Stefon Diggs, speculation ramped up that New England could end up being Pierce’s next home.
However, Graziano doesn’t see that happening. He has the Chargers signing the Colts’ standout pass catcher. Graziano’s also projecting Pierce lands a three-year, $80 million deal with $55 million guaranteed.
That contract would make Pierce one of the league’s 15 highest-paid wide receivers on an annual basis. Some might view that contract as a bit rich considering the production Pierce has put out in his four-year career. But he also led the league in yards per reception for a second straight season in 2025, logging 47 receptions on 84 targets for 1,004 yards and six touchdowns.
The Patriots seemingly have the cap room to pay Pierce and Mafe those projected contracts this offseason. New England has $61.6 million cap space as of Saturday afternoon, per @PatsCap on X.
Get the latest Boston sports news
Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
