Five New England Patriots Who Won't Be Back in 2024

Ezekiel Elliott

Ezekiel Elliott signed with the Patriots late in the process last season and did pretty much what was asked of him. He provided a change of pace as Rhamondre Stevenson's backup, made some plays in the passing game, and was generally a reliable veteran from all accounts. He took on a much larger workload later in the year when Stevenson got hurt and New England got rid of the other backup running backs. That stretch proved that Elliott still has some juice, but the All-Pro running back's best days are behind him. All in, Elliott recorded 955 yards from scrimmage with five total touchdowns.

He is a free agent entering this offseason and expressed some interest in returning to New England when he was asked about it late in the season. But with a rebuild on the horizon, it makes more sense for Elliott to seek employment elsewhere. The Pats aren't going to pay very much for a backup veteran running back and Elliott is getting to that point in his career where he'd probably rather win games of meaning than help revive an organization from ashes. He'll likely be moving on.