INDIANAPOLIS -- First-year coach Mike Vrabel said he expects the New England Patriots will be aggressive in free agency, comparing it to car shopping and being willing to pay more if there's only one vehicle available.
The Patriots have more salary-cap space than any team at approximately $123 million, according to Roster Management System, and Vrabel said the team has multiple plans based on how free agency evolves.
"I'm confident that we'll be aggressive," Vrabel said Tuesday at the NFL combine. "We've started some of those discussions internally. We have to be ready to pivot and adjust and have a vision for each player at each level.
"There's going to be this high level [financially] that things are going to get done very quickly. That will transition then to maybe some mid-range dollars. And obviously you look at opportunity. Free agency gets broken down into compensation and opportunity. I feel like we're in a position to offer both."
The Patriots have finished 4-13 in back-to-back seasons and have holes across their roster. Their top needs include the offensive line, at wide receiver and the defensive front seven, with Vrabel pointing out the Eagles' 40-22 victory over the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX as a notable example of how being strong up front on both sides of the ball is critical because "that game was clearly won at the line of scrimmage."
Among the notable players scheduled for unrestricted free agency include Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, Chiefs right guard Trey Smith, Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who are atop ESPN's free-agent rankings.
Vrabel hinted that the Patriots plan to pursue some players who are expected to land lucrative contracts.
"I like to shop like everybody else," Vrabel said. "So when you go and there's only one of a certain car, maybe you have to pay a little bit more for that one car, because there's only one of them. When you start to get into a range where you feel like players are comparable, and you like three to four players in a certain area for a certain role, you may not have to overspend.
"But it's free agency. I think everyone overspends sometimes in free agency."
The Patriots also have the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, with Vrabel saying it was too early to say which way they might be leaning.
"I don't think anybody could be able to say for certain what they're going to do right now," Vrabel said. "People always ask, 'Who are you going to take?' Well, tell us who goes 1, 2, and 3 and I'll have a better idea to tell you what we may do at 4.
"I think we would always want to entertain any offer somebody had that we felt like could strengthen our football team. To say what that's going to be right now, I don't think we would have a great idea."
