The New England Patriots have dealt with their fair share of drama this offseason, but from a pure team-building perspective, the Pats have also made some significant changes to their roster. New England largely let its free agent class leave for greener pastures, with safety Jaylinn Hawkins being among that group of players that latched on with a new team.
For Hawkins, his new home is with the Baltimore Ravens, as he signed a two-year, $10 million contract with them back in March. Considering how well Hawkins played alongside rookie safety Craig Woodson, many folks figured the Patriots would try to bring him back to town. As it turns out, even Hawkins was surprised that he didn’t re-sign with New England this offseason.
Jaylinn Hawkins Dishes on Decision to Leave Patriots in Free Agency
Hawkins was the leader of New England’s safety room last year, but that wasn’t how many folks expected things to unfold. Initially, it seemed like Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger would reprise their roles as the team’s two starters, but Peppers got released right before the start of the season, and Dugger was benched before eventually getting traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That left Hawkins and Woodson as the team’s starting duo, and they ended up being quite an effective tandem. Hawkins put together the best season of his career, as he racked up 71 tackles, four interceptions, six pass breakups, 1.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in 15 games of action (all of which were starts).
Instead of re-signing Hawkins, though, New England opted to reunite All-Pro safety Kevin Byard with his former head coach, Mike Vrabel. That unfortunately meant that Hawkins would be headed elsewhere, with the Ravens eventually landing him. The move was a bit of a surprise, and based on Hawkins’ comments, it sounds like the Pats simply opted to pursue Byard instead of him.
“I actually didn’t expect it,” Hawkins said on “The Lounge” when discussing his decision to leave the Pats and sign with the Ravens. “I was in conversation with the Patriots. I believe the Cowboys and the Texans reached out … Coach Minter and everybody reached out from here, and I was like, ‘OK, cool.’ We were in conversation … Pats, they fell off the radar. I was going back and forth with the Panthers. And then, I decided to come here and we worked it out.”
Did Patriots Upgrade at Safety by Replacing Jaylinn Hawkins with Kevin Byard?
GettyThe Ravens have been praised for signing Jaylinn Hawkins in free agency
For as well as Hawkins played last season, Byard appears set to be an upgrade for the team at the safety position. He is fresh off a standout 2025 campaign with the Chicago Bears that saw him earn All-Pro First Team honors for the third time in his career. One of those previous All-Pro seasons came back in 2021 when Byard was playing for Vrabel as a member of the Tennessee Titans.
Hawkins was a valuable leader for the Pats at the back of their defense, but they felt investing in Byard was a better move this offseason. Time will tell whether or not that was the right decision, but given Byard’s talent and his ties to Vrabel, he looks like a perfect fit for the team alongside Woodson at the safety position.
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