With three weeks to go before the start of NFL free agency, the Patriots freed up salary cap space on Monday.
The Patriots released defensive lineman Lawrence Guy and safety Adrian Phillips. The Patriots also let offensive tackle Trent Brown’s deal void, making him a free agent.
The moves open up more than $5 million in salary cap space when accounting for the Top 51 rule. Miguel Benzan, or @PatsCap on X, projects the team to have $74.5 million in cap space.
Guy, 33, first joined the Patriots in 2017. He was a member of the team’s Super Bowl LIII championship squad and served as a team captain while playing 110 games and starting 103 of them. He registered 10.5 sacks in seven seasons while primarily serving as an early-down run stuffer.
“Thank you New England. You welcomed my family and I for the past seven years and always made us feel at home,” Guy posted on X. “The community we build the people we met and the communities we impacted, thank you for always welcoming us with open arms. I’m excited to see where this journey takes me.”
Phillips, 31, spent the last four seasons with the Patriots, joining the team as a free-agent addition from the Chargers in 2020. He served as a three-year starter before his role was reduced in 2023.
The releases leave the Patriots with Christian Barmore, Daniel Ekuale, Davon Godchaux, Jeremiah Pharms and Sam Roberts at defensive tackle and Jabrill Peppers and Brenden Schooler at safety. Safeties Cody Davis, Kyler Dugger, Jalen Mills and Joshuah Bledsoe (exclusive rights) are free agents.
The Patriots still have Calvin Anderson, Vederian Lowe, Conor McDermott and Andrew Stueber at offensive tackle. Brown, Mike Onwenu, Riley Reiff and Tyrone Wheatley Jr. are free agents.
The Patriots have a complete coaching staff under head coach Jerod Mayo with one week to go before the NFL scouting combine.
The team hired Bob Bicknell as tight ends coach, Taylor Embree as running backs coach, Tyler Hughes as wide receivers coach, Robert Kugler as assistant offensive line coach, Ben McAdoo as senior offensive assistant, Michael McCarthy as offensive coaching assistant/quality control, T.C. McCartney as quarterbacks coach, Scott Peters as offensive line coach, Tiquan Underwood as assistant wide receivers coach, Vinny DePalma as defensive coaching assistant/quality control, Dont’a Hightower as inside linebackers coach, Jamael Lett as defensive coaching assistant/quality control, Jerry Montgomery as defensive line coach, Drew Wilkins as outside linebackers coach, Tom Quinn as special teams assistant coach, Coby Tippett as special teams coaching assistant/quality control and Brian McDonough as the assistant strength and conditioning coach.
Mayo’s brother, Deron Mayo, who previously served in an assistant role, is expected to be the team’s strength and conditioning coach, and Troy Brown, Mike Pellegrino and Brian Belichick are among those returning to the staff. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington and special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer have already been announced. Mike Pellegrino and Brian Belichick reportedly were expected to stay on as cornerbacks and safeties coaches, respectively. Director of skill development Joe Kim also is expected to be retained.
Embree, Kugler, McAdoo, McCarthy, McCartney, Peters, Underwood, Hightower, Montgomery and Wilkins’ hirings had previously been reported.
Bicknell, Hughes and Quinn are the most notable hires that were previously unreported.
Bicknell, 54, last spent two seasons with the Saints as a senior offensive assistant. He’s also coached with the Bengals, 49ers, Eagles, Eagles, Bills and Chiefs and in college.
Hughes was an offensive assistant with the Patriots from 2020 to 2022. He spent last season as a quality control coach at the University of Washington. He had previously spent time as head coach of Bountiful (Utah) High School, Division II Minot State and Snow College. In 2013, he was a quality control coach at Ohio State. His coaching career began in 2004 at Snow College.
Quinn was a special teams assistant with the Titans in 2023. He previously spent 16 years with the Giants.
Tippett is the son of Patriots legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Andre Tippett. McDonough has spent the last 20 seasons as a consultant for the Patriots.
Two-time Super Bowl champion James Ferentz announced his retirement on Instagram on Monday.
“After taking the time to collect my thoughts and speaking with my wife Skylar, I’ve decided to retire from playing football,” Ferentz’s statement said, in part. “Some of the best advice I have received was “concise is nice.” I will attempt my best to do that. I would like to apologize in advance to anyone who I don’t name, please understand that it doesn’t take away from your contributions or my appreciation for your impact on my career.”
He went on to thank former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, former Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia and former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.
Ferentz, 34, spent the last seven seasons on the Patriots’ active roster and practice squad. He played 61 regular season games, starting 10 of them, over his nine-year career.
Ferentz went undrafted out of Iowa, where he played under his father, head coach Kirk Ferentz, in 2013. It took him a year to catch on with the Texans in 2014. He was a member of the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 championship team before joining the Patriots in 2017. He was part of the Patriots’ Super Bowl LIII squad.
On top of serving as offensive line depth with the Patriots, he was also known to help out younger players on the roster and took on a greater leadership role on the team in 2023 when offensive line coach Adrian Klemm stepped away for health reasons.
Ferentz’s brother, Brian, was on the Patriots’ coaching staff from 2008 to 2011, when he left to join his father at Iowa. He was not retained as Iowa’s offensive coordinator following the 2023 season.