The Patriots attempted to sign Drew Dalman in free agency, per Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal, but the 26-year-old center opted for a three-year, $42MM deal with the Bears.
The Patriots entered free agency with the most cap space in the NFL and still have over $100MM of room in 2025, so they certainly had the budget to afford Dalman. He was the top center on the market, but only played 23 games over the last two seasons due to injury. His per-year earnings of $14MM are the second-highest at the position, but still fall well short of Creed Humphrey‘s $18MM APY with the Chiefs.
Now, New England will need to find another center for the 2025 season after starting three different players at the position last year. 10-year veteran David Andrews started the first four games before an injury to his shoulder required season-ending surgery. He was released last week after a failed physical.
Nick Leverett – who is now a Cardinal – took over for Andrews in Weeks 4 and 5 before the Patriots signed Ben Brown off the Raiders’ practice squad. Brown started the next 10 games at center for the Patriots, followed by Cole Strange for the last two games of the season.
Brown re-signed in New England as an exclusive rights free agent in 2025, and Strange is entering the final year of his rookie deal. The two young linemen will likely enter training camp battling for the starting center job, though Strange could also be in play at guard.
Of course, the Patriots could still add another center in the coming months. Andre James is the best veteran available after being released by the Raiders, and the draft offers several young options as well.