The Super Bowl champs could look a lot different next season.
With 13 unrestricted free agents, including six 2016 starters, Patriots brass will be busy this offseason deciding who should stay and who should go. As recent history shows, the Patriots are not shy when it comes to saying goodbye to their stars in free agency or via a trade. Just ask Darrelle Revis, Vince Wilfork, Jamie Collins, Chandler Jones or Logan Mankins.
The nice thing is they have $65 million in cap space to figure it out and try to be first team to pull off a Super Bowl repeat since, well, the Patriots in 2005.
MORE: Why Patriots are in position to repeat
Here is a look at which Patriots free agents could be headed for the open market.
CB Malcolm Butler (Restricted free agent)
Age: 26
Drafted: Undrafted free agent signed by Patriots in 2014
College: West Alabama
2016 cap hit: $600,000
2016 stats: 63 tackles, four interceptions, one sack, one forced fumble
Lowdown: Butler probably won't be going anywhere; he's a restricted free agent, which means the Patriots control his rights. As the team's top cover corner, he's arguably the most valuable player on this list. This situation could get complicated if Butler demands a long-term contract rather than the likely first- or second-round tender.
MORE: Only Brady could turn worst Super Bowl into best
ILB Dont'a Hightower
Age: 26
Drafted: Round 1 (25th overall) by Patriots in 2012
College: Alabama
2016 cap hit: $7.7 million
2016 stats: 65 tackles, 2 1/2 sacks and one forced fumble
Lowdown: Hightower has been consistently productive in Foxborough despite an array of injuries. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl last season and was named second-team All-Pro. There aren't too many inside linebackers in the league who can match Hightower's size and ability to run. After the team decided to move on from Collins, you'd expect the Patriots to do all they can to bring back Hightower. They're "looking at the possibility" of franchise-tagging him, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That would give both sides time to agree on a long-term deal.
TE Martellus Bennett
Age: 29
Drafted: Round 2 (61st overall) by Cowboys in 2008
College: Texas A&M
2016 cap hit: $5.1 million
2016 stats: 55 receptions, 701 yards, seven touchdowns
Lowdown: Although the season-ending injury to Rob Gronkowski spoiled their plans, the Patriots love having a pair of big tight ends who can stretch the field vertically. Bennett filled in nicely in Gronkowski's absence, but bringing him back depends on how much the Patriots are willing to pay. Bennett said after Sunday's game that teams "overpay Super Bowl champions," but with Gronkowski already making $9 million a year, don't expect the Patriots to break the bank on his companion.
CB Logan Ryan
Age: 25
Drafted: Round 3 (83rd overall) by Patriots in 2013
College: Rutgers
2016 cap hit: $1.8 million
2016 stats: 92 tackles, one sack, two interceptions, one forced fumble
Lowdown: Ryan took a small step back in 2016 after being ranked among the top corners in the league by Pro Football Focus in 2015. He was benched in favor of Eric Rowe twice last season. Ryan buckled down and turned things around late. The Patriots will have to re-sign Butler, which may force Ryan to test the open market. Either way, he's in line for a big deal.
RB LeGarrette Blount
Age: 30
Drafted: Undrafted free agent signed by Titans in 2010
College: Oregon
2016 cap hit: $1 million
2016 stats: 299 carries, 1,161 yards, 18 touchdowns
Lowdown: Don't be blinded by Blount's stats. Despite leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns, Blount averaged just 3.9 yards per carry. He could find himself back in New England next year, but not for a big price. Dion Lewis and James White both offer a lot more in the passing game and routinely see more snaps than Blount.
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DE Jabaal Sheard
Age: 27
Drafted: Round 2 (37th overall) by Browns in 2011
College: Pittsburgh
2016 cap hit: $6.8 million
2016 stats: 33 tackles, five sacks
Lowdown: The Patriots are thin on the defensive line, and having four pending free agents doesn't help. Sheard can rush the passer and stop the run, but the likelihood of him re-signing took a hit with the emergence of second-year end Trey Flowers. Flowers led the Patriots with seven sacks last season, and he had 2.5 sacks in Super Bowl 51, including a game-changing sack on Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan late in the fourth quarter. Sheard could probably make a lot more on the open market.
RT Sebastian Vollmer
Age: 32
Drafted: Round 2 (58th overall) by Patriots in 2009
College: Houston
2016 cap hit: $5.2 million
2016 stats: None
Lowdown: Vollmer, New England's longest-tenured offensive lineman, missed the entire 2016 season with a lingering hip injury. His absence paved the way for the emergence of Marcus Cannon, whom the Patriots awarded a five-year, $35 million contract extension. With right tackle solidified, it's unlikely New England will bring Vollmer back unless it's in a reserve role.
DT Alan Branch
Age: 32
Drafted: Round 2 (33rd overall) by Cardinals in 2007
College: Michigan
2016 cap hit: $2.75 million
2016 stats: 49 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble
Lowdown: Branch has started 31 of 32 games for the Patriots the past two seasons and is one of their few reliable interior defensive linemen. The Patriots asked more of the 6-6, 350-pound Branch during their Super Bowl run, and he answered the call. At 32, he probably won't be landing a massive contract, but he'll definitely cost more than the $2.1 million cap hit he carried this season.
FB James Develin
Age: 28
Drafted: Undrafted free agent signed by Bengals in 2010
College: Brown
2016 cap hit: $750,000
2016 stats: Three receptions, 18 yards
Lowdown: Develin started his NFL career as tryout player for the Browns as an outside linebacker. After making the transition to fullback with the Bengals' practice squad in 2011, he was signed to the Patriots' practice squad in 2012 and was promoted later that season. He has been a Patriots mainstay since 2013 and has earned the respect of Tom Brady, who once called Develin the best fullback in the NFL.
MORE: Pats join Cavs, Cubs as comeback kings
DE Chris Long
Age: 31
Drafted: Round 1 (second overall) by Rams in 2008
College: Virginia
2016 cap hit: $2.3 million
2016 stats: 35 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble
Lowdown: After eight injury-filled years with the lousy Rams, Long signed a one-year deal with the Patriots and started seven games in 2016. After finding few suitors during free agency last year, Long should garner more interest this year.
OLB Barkevious Mingo
Age: 26
Drafted: Round 1 (sixth overall) by Browns in 2013
College: LSU
2016 cap hit: $675,000
2016 stats: 11 tackles
Lowdown: When the Patriots acquired Mingo late last summer, some expected Bill Belichick to transform him into a superstar. It was the type of low-risk, high-reward move we've seen Belichick make throughout his tenure, but this time it didn't work out. Mingo was primarily a special teams player; he appeared in just 4.7 percent of New England's defensive snaps.
WR Michael Floyd
Age: 27
Drafted: Round 1 (13th overall) by Cardinals in 2012
College: Notre Dame
2016 cap hit: $1.2 million
2016 stats (Cardinals and Patriots combined): 37 catches, 488 yards, five touchdowns
Lowdown: The Patriots claimed Floyd in December after he was cut by the Cardinals following an arrest on DUI charges. He played in just two games and had four catches. He ended up being a healthy scratch for Super Bowl 51.
RB Brandon Bolden
Age: 27
Drafted: Undrafted free agent signed by Patriots in 2012
College: Mississippi
2016 cap hit: $1.2 million
2016 stats: One carry, 4 yards; two receptions, 15 yards
Lowdown: Bolden played just 13 offensive snaps in 2016. His value is is mainly on special teams.
SS Duron Harmon
Age: 27
Drafted: Round 3 (91st overall) by Patriots in 2013
College: Rutgers
2016 cap hit: $1.8 million
2016 stats: 29 tackles, one interception, one forced fumble
Lowdown: Harmon made a game-clinching interception against the Texans in the divisional playoffs and has been a dependable backup safety for the Patriots the past three seasons.
TE Greg Scruggs
Age: 26
Drafted: Round 7 (232nd overall) by Seahawks in 2012
College: Louisville
2016 cap hit: $555,882
2016 stats: None
Lowdown: Scruggs finished 2016 on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury. The former defensive end has played in 18 games during his four-year pro career, all as a backup.
MORE: How Pats pulled off epic comeback
Restricted/exclusive rights free agents
G Cameron Fleming
OLB Trevor Reilly
FS Brandon King (exclusive)
CB Justin Coleman (exclusive)
DE Geno Grissom (exclusive)
TE Matt Lengel (exclusive)