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Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots center Garrett Bradbury (65) before Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Patriots Should Replace Garrett Bradbury At Center

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Ethan Hurwitz | Last updated Feb 23, 2026 1:35 PM ET

INDIANAPOLIS — How will the New England Patriots attack the center position ahead of next season? A lot of that comes down to what the team plans to do at every other spot along the offensive line.

Garrett Bradbury, who started every game at center this season in his first year with the Patriots, played well enough to earn the spot for 2026. But Jared Wilson, the Georgia rookie who's primary position in college was center before being switched to left guard in training camp, offers a lot more upside — and he's much more fiscally friendly.

Moving Wilson to center opens up the door for plenty of options the defending AFC champions can look at. Will they go out and sign a free agent (Alijah Vera-Tucker and Ed Ingram come to mind), or will the Patriots decide to move Will Campbell to left guard. That's the discussion that comes after a shaky performance in Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks — despite head coach Mike Vrabel putting any position switch conversations to rest.

"We're not moving Will to guard, to center, to tight end or anywhere else," Vrabel said in his final press conference of the season.

What Is Bradbury's Contract Looking Like This Year?

The Patriots signed Bradbury to a two-year deal after the longtime Minnesota Vikings center released him last offseason. He was instantly thrown into the starting role to replace longtime captain David Andrews, and he never gave it up. Will that be enough to keep him on board for 2026?

Bradbury carries a $6.9 million cap hit next season, and a small amount of remaining guarantees on his contract (just $1.2 million), so releasing him to free up some room would make sense. Letting him go would save around $5.7 million in cap space.

The Patriots are in prime position to replace Bradbury. Whether it's Wilson or backup Ben Brown — who shined in all of his opportunities in both 2024 and 2025 — the team is well equipped depth-wise to move on from the veteran. Bradbury is set to turn 31 years old in June, but still played good football all the way into February.

This past year, he allowed a 3.12% pressure rate in the regular season, the lowest among the five starters for New England's line. His leadership on and off the field, which netted him the team's Ron Hobson Good Guy Award, was invaluable to the two young rookies on the left side.

And yet, there's always room to structurally improve the team.

If Wilson was to give the same (or better) play from center in 2026, all at a cheaper price point, it would be silly for the Patriots to keep Bradbury as a backup. It would also allow the team to be flexible with how they want to approach the NFL Draft in April.

Should Campbell kick inside to guard, that will begin more conversations about how the Patriots want to handle the tackle positions. NFL insider Jason La Canfora connected the Patriots to pending free agent Rasheed Walker, who's estimated to receive around $25 million a year to be a team's starting left (or right tackle).

Plenty of discussions will be had about whether the Patriots are willing to truly revamp an offensive line that all remains under contract for 2026, but it will likely be a point of conversation that executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf will be asked about at the NFL Combine. Both Wolf and Vrabel are expected to speak to the media this week from Indianapolis.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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