The 2017 season was the New England Patriots' 48th in the National Football League (NFL), their 58th overall and their 18th under head coach Bill Belichick.
The Patriots entered the season as the defending champions of Super Bowl LI. They failed to match their 14–2 record from last season with their Week 14 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Despite that, in Week 15, the Patriots secured their 9th consecutive AFC East title, their 15th of the last 17 seasons, with their victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. With their win over the Buffalo Bills in week 16, the Patriots obtained their 8th consecutive 12-or-more win season stretching all the way from 2010, an NFL record. Their Week 17 victory over the New York Jets clinched their top seed in the AFC for the second straight year, thus giving the Patriots home-field advantage throughout the entire AFC playoffs for the second year in a row.
The Patriots defeated the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round 35–14, and the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game 24–20, claiming their second consecutive AFC title. This was their seventh consecutive AFC Championship appearance, adding onto their record from the previous year. The win also made Tom Brady the oldest quarterback (40 years, 163 days) to win a playoff game, surpassing Brett Favre for the record. It was also the second time they advanced to the Super Bowl two consecutive seasons, the first being 2004. They faced the Philadelphia Eagles in a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX. This also made the Patriots the only team in NFL history to appear in ten Super Bowls, and gave the Patriots a chance to repeat as Super Bowl Champions for the second time in franchise history, and for the first time since 2004. In addition, they had the chance to tie the Pittsburgh Steelers for the record of most Super Bowl wins by a team in NFL history with 6. However, due to a late strip-sack of Brady by Brandon Graham and a failed Hail Mary pass, the Patriots lost Super Bowl LII to the Eagles by a score of 41–33, ending New England's chance at a sixth Super Bowl title and resulting in their first Super Bowl loss since 2011. The loss prevented the Patriots from repeating their three-in-four Super Bowl run that they managed from 2001 to 2004. Also with the loss, the Patriots tied the NFL record for most Super Bowl losses with five, and made them the fifth defending Super Bowl champion to lose the next year's game, after the 1978 Dallas Cowboys, the 1983 Washington Redskins, the 1997 Green Bay Packers, and the 2014 Seattle Seahawks. They would later be joined by the 2020 and 2024 Kansas City Chiefs.
Coaching changes
Departures February 20: Long time Patriots coach, Brian Daboll, was named as the offensive coordinator for the University of Alabama football team after serving as the Patriots tight ends coach for three years.
Promotions February 27: After serving as a Patriots coaching assistant for 2 years, Nick Caley was named as the Patriots tight ends coach, replacing former Patriots tight ends coach Brian Daboll for the job.
Roster changes
Free agents
Unrestricted
Position Player 2017 Team Date signed Contract TE Martellus Bennett Green Bay Packers March 10, 2017 three years, $21 million RB LeGarrette Blount Philadelphia Eagles May 17, 2017 one year, $2.8 million RB Brandon Bolden New England Patriots April 5, 2017 one year, $775,000 DT Alan Branch New England Patriots March 9, 2017 two years, $12 million FB James Develin New England Patriots March 6, 2017 two years, $2.85 million WR Michael Floyd Minnesota Vikings May 10, 2017 one year, $1.5 million FS Duron Harmon New England Patriots March 9, 2017 four years, $17 million MLB Dont'a Hightower New England Patriots March 15, 2017 four years, $43.5 million DE Chris Long Philadelphia Eagles March 28, 2017 two years, $4.8 million OLB Barkevious Mingo Indianapolis Colts March 9, 2017 one year, $2.5 million CB Logan Ryan Tennessee Titans March 10, 2017 three years, $30 million TE Greg Scruggs DE/OLB Jabaal Sheard Indianapolis Colts March 10, 2017 three years, $25.5 million
Restricted
Position Player 2017 Team Date signed Contract CB Malcolm Butler New England Patriots April 18, 2017 assigned tender (first-round) on March 7, 2017 ($3.91 million) OT Cameron Fleming New England Patriots April 10, 2017 assigned tender (original-round) on March 7, 2017 ($1.797 million) TE Michael Williams New England Patriots March 9, 2017 one year, $540,000
Exclusive-Rights
Position Player 2017 Team Date signed Contract CB Justin Coleman New England Patriots March 16, 2017 assigned tender on March 7, one year, $615,000 SS Brandon King New England Patriots April 11, 2017 assigned tender on March 8, one year, $615,000 TE Matt Lengel New England Patriots April 18, 2017 assigned tender on March 7, one year, $540,000
Signings Position Player Previous team Date signed Contract TE Rob Housler Chicago Bears January 19, 2017 future contract CB Stephon Gilmore Buffalo Bills March 10, 2017 five years, $65 million DT Lawrence Guy Baltimore Ravens March 11, 2017 four years, $13.4 million RB Rex Burkhead Cincinnati Bengals March 14, 2017 one year, $3.15 million RBMike Gillislee Buffalo Bills April 24, 2017 two years, $6.4 millionWR Devin Street Indianapolis Colts May 2, 2017claimed off waiversC James Ferentz Denver Broncos May 18, 2017 one year, $615,000 WR DeAndrew White New England Patriots May 21, 2017 one year, $540,000WR Andrew Hawkins Cleveland Browns May 24, 2017 one year, $980,000 LB David Harris New York Jets June 21, 2017two years, $5 millionDE Caleb Kidder Minnesota Vikings July 26, 2017 one year, $465,000 WR Tony Washington Jacksonville Jaguars July 27, 2017 one year, $540,000 WR K. J. Maye Tennessee Titans July 30, 2017 one year, $465,000 DE Michael Bart Arizona Cardinals August 28, 2017 one year, $465,000DE Nick Usher Seattle Seahawks August 28, 2017 one year, $465,000 RB Brandon Bolden New England Patriots Re-signed September 4, 2017 one year, $775,000 QB Brian Hoyer San Francisco 49ers November 1, 2017 three years, $4,441,470 DE Ricky Jean Francois Green Bay Packers November 7, 2017 one year, $990,000 TE Martellus Bennett Green Bay Packers November 9, 2017 two years, $14 million DE Eric Lee Buffalo Bills November 21, 2017 two years, $1,020,000 LB Nicholas Grigsby Baltimore Ravens November 28, 2017 two years, $1,170,000 OG Jason King Baltimore Ravens November 28, 2017 one year, $465,000 LB Jonathan Freeny Jacksonville Jaguars Re-signed December 6, 2017 one year, $775,000 WR Kenny Britt Cleveland Browns December 12, 2017 two years, $2.4 million DE Ricky Jean Francois New England Patriots Re-signed December 13, 2017 one year, $900,000 OLB James Harrison Pittsburgh Steelers December 26, 2017 one year, $1,000,000 WR Bernard Reedy New England Patriots Re-signed January 17, 2017 one year, $225,000 Indicates that the player was a free agent at the end of his respective team's season.
Departures Position Player Notes OT Sebastian Vollmer Released March 3, 2017RB Tyler Gaffney Waived March 20, 2017OG Tre' Jackson Waived April 18, 2017TE Michael Williams Released May 12, 2017TE Rob Housler Released May 17, 2017OG Chris Barker Released May 18, 2017WR Devin Street Released May 24, 2017DE Corey Vereen Waived June 5, 2017WR DeAndrew White Released June 22, 2017OG Chase Farris Released July 20, 2017WR Andrew Hawkins Retired July 25, 2017OLB/DE Rob Ninkovich Retired July 30, 2017SS Dwayne Thomas Released August 11, 2017DE Kony Ealy Released August 26, 2017DE Caleb Kidder Released August 27, 2017TE Matt Lengel OLB Christian Kuntz Released August 29, 2017FB Glenn Gronkowski Released September 1, 2017TE Sam Cotton OT Max Rich OG Jason King DE Michael Bart DT Josh Augusta FS Jason Thompson OLB Jonathan Freeny WR Tony Washington Released September 2, 2017WR K. J. Maye OLB Trevor Bates RB D. J. Foster RB LeShun Daniels CB D. J. Killings OT Andrew Jelks CB Kenny Moore II OG Jamil Douglas SS Damarius Travis WR Cody Hollister FS David Jones DE Nick Usher WR Austin Carr TE James O'Shaughnessy DE Geneo Grissom RB Brandon Bolden OGTed KarrasC James Ferentz MLB Brooks Ellis DT Woodrow Hamilton DT Darius Kilgo CB William Likely WR Devin Lucien OT Conor McDermott DE Geneo Grissom Waived November 9, 2017DE Cassius Marsh Released November 21, 2017DE Ricky Jean-Francois Released December 2, 2017OG Jason King Released December 2, 2017WR Bernard Reedy Released December 13, 2017OLB Jonathan Freeny Released December 13, 2017OLB Trevor Reilly Waived December 26, 2017
Trades March 8: The Patriots obtained tight end Dwayne Allen and a sixth-round selection and sent a fourth-round selection to the Indianapolis Colts. March 10: The Patriots were involved in a trade in which they sent their second-round selection to the Carolina Panthers for defensive end Kony Ealy and a third-round selection. March 10: The Patriots were involved in a trade in which they sent their first-round selection and a third-round selection to the New Orleans Saints for wide receiver Brandin Cooks and a fourth-round selection. April 29: The Patriots traded a fifth-round selection to the Kansas City Chiefs for tight end James O'Shaughnessy and a sixth-round selection. August 29: The Patriots traded a 2018 seventh-round selection to the Cincinnati Bengals for linebacker Marquis Flowers. September 1: The Patriots traded cornerback Justin Coleman to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2018 seventh-round draft selection. September 2: The Patriots traded a 2019 sixth-round selection to the Detroit Lions for cornerback Johnson Bademosi. September 2: The Patriots traded quarterback Jacoby Brissett to the Indianapolis Colts for wide receiver Phillip Dorsett. September 2: The Patriots traded their 2018 fifth and seventh-round picks to the Seahawks for defensive end Cassius Marsh. October 30: The Patriots traded quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2018 second-round selection.
Draft
Notes The fourth-round selection that the Patriots obtained from the trade with the New Orleans Saints would have been No. 118 overall; however, it was forfeited as part of the punishment for the Deflategate scandal. The Patriots were awarded an additional fifth-round compensatory selection – No. 183 overall. The Patriots gave up a fifth-round selection – No. 163 overall – to the Buffalo Bills when they signed restricted free agent Mike Gillislee to an offer sheet. As a result of their trades, the Patriots did not use any of their assigned selections, and drafted just four players—the lowest number in franchise history.