NFL free agency doesn’t officially open until 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday. That’s when free agents can officially sign with new teams and trades can be finalized.
But many players will know their next moves long before then.
Each year, most notable free agents agree to terms with teams during the legal tampering period, which begins Monday at noon ET.
The New England Patriots enter that period with roughly $32 million in available salary cap space and some important holes to fill on both sides of the ball. Here’s how we would rank their biggest roster needs as free agency gets underway:
1.