The New England Patriots have the most cap space out of every NFL team, with $126.68 million to work with. However, having the most cap space does not mean that New England will not make any roster cuts this offseason since each team has at least one contract they would like to eliminate. Also, since they hired Mike Vrabel as their new head coach, the Patriots will build their defense around players who are scheme fits and part ways with those who are not.
The team made their first significant roster move of the offseason, parting ways with a veteran defender.
The New England Patriots announce devastating news regarding linebacker with 40 career starts
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Patriots released Sione Takitaki, freeing $2,680,000 in cap space and incurring a $1,000,000 dead cap hit for 2025. With the release of Takitaki, they now have $129.36 million cap space.
The #Patriots announced that they have released LB Sione Takitaki.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 19, 2025
The veteran linebacker had a disappointing lone season with New England
Sione Takitaki had a disappointing lone season with New England, missing the start of the season with an injury and, upon returning, failing to carve out a consistent role on defense. Takitaki underwent a knee scope during the offseason, which caused him to spend the first five games on the reserve/PUP list. Upon returning, he could not carve out a consistent role on defense, playing 194 (17.35%) defensive snaps and recording 21 tackles, tied for the lowest total in his career, tying his rookie season.
Also Read: Predicting Each AFC East Team’s Most Likely Cap Casualty for 2025
