Patriots Predicted To Sign Super Bowl Winning Edge Rusher To $76M Deal
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Patriots Predicted To Sign Super Bowl Winning Edge Rusher To $76M Deal originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New England Patriots will enter the offseason with plenty of money to make some big moves.
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The Patriots have some clear needs on offense and defense, but one of the biggest is at edge rusher, as the team has to do a better job of getting after the quarterback. In New England’s Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Seattle did a good job at getting after Drake Maye early and often.
So, Patriots insider Chad Graff of The Athletic predicts the team will sign away a star pass rusher from the Seahawks in Boye Mafe.
“Mafe had a breakout second season when he notched nine sacks in 2023, but after Mike McDonald took over the Seattle Seahawks and they bulked up their defensive line, Mafe was relegated to being a rotational player,” Graff wrote in an article published on Thursday.
“He was on the field for just half of Seattle’s defensive snaps last season, but he was disruptive. And the Patriots showed last year in signing Milton Williams that they aren’t afraid to sign a defensive linemen who was a rotational player on a really good defense. … The Patriots sign Mafe to a four-year, $76 million deal. Edge rushers are expensive, and Phillips probably lands a big-money deal worth around $100 million. So the Pats pivot to a pass rusher with good length while hoping to draft someone they can develop.”
Mafe would be a Day 1 starter for the Patriots and help shore up the defensive line and get after the quarterback. With the Seahawks last season, Mafe recorded 31 tackles and just two sacks, which was a down year after his six and nine-sack seasons in 2024 and 2023.
So, although Mafe isn’t the elite pass rusher many expect the Patriots to pursue, he could be a stopgap until the team develops one through the draft, as Graff notes.
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