The New England Patriots are onto the offseason, and they should have a few goals in mind for what they should do.

They already completed one of those goals when they hired Bill O'Brien to be their offensive coordinator. Next up should be determining which players they want to keep ahead of free agency. Here are three impending free agents the Patriots must re-sign this offseason to help them get back to the playoffs in 2023.

Jakobi Meyers

Meyers' rise over the last four seasons has been nothing sort of incredible. The wide receiver went from being an undrafted free agent in 2019 that was just a couple of seasons removed from playing quarterback to the best receiver on an NFL team over the last three seasons.

OK, that might say more about the Patriots' receiving situation over the last few years than it does about Meyers, but he's certainly a legit starting-quality receiver. In 2021, Meyers posted an 83-catch season for 866 yards and two touchdowns in his first season with Mac Jones.

Meyers didn't record as many receptions in 2022, but he also missed a few games as he became a bit more dynamic. He finished with 67 receptions for 804 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games this past season, showing of some more skills outside of being just a security blanket.

That might be why Meyers is viewed by most NFL experts as the best free-agent wide receiver this upcoming offseason. ESPN recently ranked Meyers as the top free-agent wide receiver in 2023 and Pro Football Focus projects him to receive a four-year deal worth $64 million with $40 million guaranteed.

That kind of contract shouldn't deter the Patriots from bringing Meyers back. Their goal this offseason should be focused on making Jones' life easier, and re-signing Meyers does that. He's clearly Jones' favorite receiver and in August, the quarterback actually said he hoped to play with Meyers for the remainder of his career.

It's clear that there's a real connection between Jones and Meyers too as the receiver came to the quarterback's defense following his benching during the Patriots' Week 7 loss to the Chicago Bears. He also mentioned Jones' resilience in that moment as one of the things he'll remember the most about the 2022 season.

Sure, the Patriots must upgrade at receiver. But it shouldn't come at the cost of letting Meyers go, they need to find someone who can help complement him instead.

Jonathan Jones

Entering the 2022 season, cornerback was a huge question mark for the Patriots. Jones brought some reliability to the position this past season when he switched from slot corner to outside corner, playing on the boundary for the first time in his seven-year career.

The switch worked for the first half of the season as Jones was graded as one of the top corners in the league by Pro Football Focus through the first 10 games of the year. He struggled a bit though in the back half of the season when the Patriots took on some more elite receivers, such as Stefon Diggs and Justin Jefferson.

Still, Jones has been a steady force in the Patriots' secondary since he joined the team as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He was viewed as one of the best slot corners in the league and has become a well-respected voice in the Patriots' locker room, something that's needed at his position in particular considering their youth at corner.

Jones brings versatility outside of playing multiple spots at corner, too. He played nearly 20 snaps at free safety in the Patriots' LIII win over the Los Angeles Rams, in which their opponent scored just three points and only had 260 yards of total offense.

While Jones doesn't have much experience at free safety, the little time he's played there could come in handy if a certain other player leaves …

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Devin McCourty

It might be time for McCourty to hang up the cleats as he'll turn 36 at the start of the 2023 season, but the Patriots aren't equipped to lose him yet.

New England lacks much experience at free safety beyond McCourty. Sure, they're loaded at the position but Kyle Dugger and Adrian Phillips don't have the prototypical speed for a free safety and both play strong safety. Jabrill Peppers is a free agent though he's more an in-the-box safety, too.

As mentioned earlier, Jonathan Jones has some experience at the position, but it's very limited, and corner Jalen Mills briefly played free safety during his five-year tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles.

So yeah, the internal options to replace McCourty aren't great. Not to mention, McCourty is still playing at a solid level too.  Opposing quarterbacks completed 19 of 37 passes for 273 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions when targeting McCourty, giving them a 72.1 passer rating when throwing to a receiver McCourty was covering.

However, McCourty indicated that the 2022 season was likely his final year over the closing weeks of the season. If he is open for a return though, the Patriots should pounce on the opportunity and give him a one-year deal that would buy them time to find his replacement.