This offseason is crucial for the New England Patriots when it comes to retaining institutional knowledge from key veterans.

Devin McCourty, Matthew Slater, Dont’a Hightower and James White are long-time starters that will be hitting free agency. Of course, big names like J.C Jackson, Trent Brown and Ted Karras will also hit the market. But, the veterans previously mentioned are all at the age of 30 or above — leaving difficult decisions for Bill Belichick.

Bringing back Dont’a Hightower will be one of the most difficult decisions out of those four players due to his lack of speed, combined with his age. The Patriots only have around $8 million to spend this offseason, and figuring out way to retain Jackson will be much more important.

Let’s dive into his free agency outlook.

Should the Patriots try to re-sign him?

This is a tricky one.

Hightower played in 16 of 18 possible games in 2021 and he was extremely productive in one of the league’s best defenses. But, he was clearly a bit slower than he’s been in the past — and, he’s never been the fastest linebacker. Hightower plays as an off-the-ball linebacker and he’s great when it comes to stopping the run.

He will likely garner interest for teams looking for stability and experience in their front-line defense. The last time Hightower hit free agency, the Patriots brought him back on a four-year, $35.5 million contract. It’s unlikely any other team offers him that money now, which could give the Patriots room to bring him back on a bargain deal.

He has been, and could remain, a key cog in the Patriots’ linebacker group. But, it’s unlikely the Patriots negotiate for him if another team comes up with a more appealing contract.

Linebackers coach Jerod Mayo had an interesting comment about speed that could be eluding to Hightower.

“What I would say is you always want to get faster, especially in today’s game,” Hightower said, via NESN’s Zack Cox. “And that’s in all spots, not only at linebacker, defensive line or in the back end. You always want to get faster. But what we covet here is versatility and smarts — football intelligence. Those are things you definitely want to have on the team.”

Would Hightower want to re-sign with New England?

Hightower hasn’t came out and clearly said he wants to remain with the Patriots in 2022.

But, he’s a long-time player who has made adjustments and exceptions to stick with the team he’s been on since being drafted in 2012. According to Spoctrac, he’s made nearly $53 million during his career and that could be enough to take a lower-end contract and stick with his team.

The Patriots also have to figure out if they want to spend to retain free agents in Ja’Whaun Bentley and Jamie Collins. It’s very likely that Hightower would like to remain with the Patriots. It all comes down to the contract and whether the Patriots have enough interest in bringing him back.

What we think will happen

It’s difficult to tell, but it would’t be surprising if the Patriots let Hightower walk. He will be 32-years-old soon and they could retain Bentley — who carries a similar size and skillset while having youth on his side.

The Patriots will likely look for speed at the position in the draft and could look to bring much more youth to the second level. If the Patriots could at least retain McCourty — they would have a certain amount of veteran leadership necessary to steer the ship.

Unfortunately, it’s more possible than not that Hightower has played his last snaps in a Patriots uniform. But, that’s not a definite and Belichick could pull a surprise move to bring back a key leader — as he sometimes does.