The New England Patriots are in the market for a wide receiver after deciding to move on from Stefon Diggs, but they are not expected to pursue some of the big names in free agency.
Mike Evans will likely end up in the Hall of Fame one day, but he is not exactly what the Patriots need right now. They need an elite No. 1 receiver, and Evans is about to turn 33 and missed most of last season with an injury. His streak of consecutive 1,000-yard seasons came to an end, and he averaged less than 50 yards per game in the games he did play.
According to NFL insider Tony Pauline, the Patriots are not targeting Evans in free agency.
"Where could Evans wind up now?" Pauline wrote on Thursday. "I’m told there’s a real possibility he returns to play with the Buccaneers in 2026, while the Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders are very interested if the right deal is struck. The New England Patriots have not shown much interest in Evans."
The Patriots will surely target a wide receiver, and Pauline thinks it will be Alec Pierce of the Indianapolis Colts.
"In the past few hours, I also learned the New England Patriots are hot for Pierce and are expected to make a big push for the wideout," Pauline wrote. "This makes sense as just yesterday the team cut Stefon Diggs and, as stated above, they’ve displayed little interest in Mike Evans."
Pierce is younger than Evans and is coming off the best year of his career, despite some shaky quarterback play at times. NFL free agency opens on March 11, and it's unlikely the Patriots wait around long to land a wide receiver this year.
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