The New England Patriots have made significant changes to their roster this offseason, with much of the activity happening in free agency. Key additions include Milton Williams, Harold Landry, and Carlton Davis, while the team also made a bold attempt to sign Chris Godwin and has been linked to Stefon Diggs.
These moves signal a fresh look for the Patriots in 2025 but also create an opportunity for a potential reunion. Earlier in the offseason, New England hired former player Mike Vrabel as their new head coach, and with their recent free agency activity, another familiar face could be making a return to Foxborough.
Joey Slye’s Departure Could Help Nick Folk Return To Patriots
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Tennessee Titans are signing kicker Joey Slye. The 28-year-old has played for five teams over his six-year career, spending last season with the New England Patriots, where he made 26-of-33 field goals (78.8%) and converted 25-of-26 extra points (96.2%).
Although losing Slye isn’t a major blow—he ranked 27th in field goal percentage and fell below the league average (84%)—it does create a vacancy at kicker for the Patriots. This could open the door for a potential reunion with veteran Nick Folk.
Folk, a 17-year NFL veteran, would offer a clear upgrade on special teams. During his four seasons in New England (2019-2022), he connected on 89.3% of his field goals and 91.3% of his extra points before being traded to Tennessee at the end of training camp in 2023.
His move to the Titans worked out well, as Folk led the league in field goal percentage (96.7%) in 2023 during Mike Vrabel’s final season in Tennessee. He re-signed with the team after Vrabel’s departure and remained consistent, converting 95.5% of his field goals. Over the past two seasons, no kicker has a higher field goal percentage than Folk, and since 2019 (with a minimum of 30 attempts), only Cameron Dicker (93.8%) has surpassed Folk’s 91.3% mark.
Given their struggles without Folk, the Patriots might find it worthwhile to bring back the 40-year-old veteran. With $80.8 million in cap space, New England certainly has the financial flexibility to make it happen.
