The answer to Patriots’ tackle problem may have just appeared out of thin air (2025)

With a week to go until the 2025 NFL Draft, all signs pointed to the New England Patriots needing to add a rookie to address their glaring need at left tackle.

But thanks to a sudden contract beef, there could be a new avenue for the Patriots to land a stud left tackle.

As first reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Las Vegas Raiders left tackle Kolton Miller is skipping the team’s voluntary offseason workouts and is angling for a new contract.

It’s not an official holdout -- not yet. But it’s a scenario where the Patriots should be running to pick up the phone to see if they can swing a trade for Miller.

Let’s be clear: There are no reports that the Raiders are open to trading Miller or are fielding calls. However, this is the sort of contract situation that can lead down that road.

The 29-year-old Miller has been a steady presence at left tackle over the past seven seasons. A first-round pick in 2019, Miller stepped in and started all 16 games as a rookie. Since then, he’s been durable and consistent, missing just five games over the last four seasons.

Miller isn’t quite a superstar talent, but he’s a reliable presence on the blindside who’s well-regarded. As The Athletic’s Tashan Reid notes, Miller struggled out of the gate early in the 2024 season after coming back from shoulder surgery, but returned to form by the end of the year.

Miller is entering the final year of his current contract and is set to make around $12.2 million, with none guaranteed. According to Over The Cap, that ranks 15th among left tackles in the NFL. It especially pales in comparison to some of the monster free-agent contracts handed out to tackles this offseason.

At his age, Miller still has plenty of fuel left in the tank and appears to be angling for a major payday. The Raiders rank third in the NFL with over $44 million in cap space. But if they’re not willing to go all-out on the contract, the Patriots should leap at the chance to jump in.

New England is currently sitting with a league high $67.65 million in cap space -- even after the team’s spending spree in free agency. That leaves plenty of room to give a sizable extension to a guy who should be able to hold down left tackle for at least the next three years.

It’s been a month since free agency opened. That means most teams across the NFL have already spent a lot of their war chests. That could put New England in an even more advantagous position.

If Vegas doesn’t want to potentially overpay for Miller, the option is there for the team to cut ties a year early and get some draft compensation from a team like the Patriots.

If a deal materializes before next week’s draft, a Day 2 pick (and perhaps some additional Day 3 compensation) may get the deal done. But if that does happen, the Patriots will likely want to ensure that they’ve got an extension lined up for Miller to keep him in Foxborough.

Bringing in a veteran like Miller would be a significant addition that could jump-start the Patriots’ rebuild under Mike Vrabel. New England has addressed a number of needs in free agency. But left tackle remains a glaring weakness.

A trade for Miller would also reset the Patriots’ approach to the draft. Instead of needing to take a left tackle in Round 1, the team could simply go with the best player available with each pick as it rebuilds the roster.

That’s the dream. But for now, it’s speculation. We’ll have to wait and see if the Raiders start taking trade calls for Miller.

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