When the buzz began for this free agency cycle, I was leading the charge along with several other [New England Patriots](https://nesn.com/new-england-patriots) writers and analysts for head coach Mike Vrabel to pursue 25-year-old wide receiver Alec Pierce.
Since then, Pierce’s projected price tag has risen from $20 million to $25 million, and now some insiders predict he could be a 30-million-dollar man by the time it’s all said and done.
This should be too much to ask from almost any coach in the league, but for Vrabel? This would be an unheard-of contract to doll out.
Last season, no team spent more in free agency than the Patriots. Vrabel brought in former All-Pros and Super Bowl Champions alike. Of the more than 20 new contracts signed, not a single one carried a cap hit higher than Milton Williams’ $14 million.
Without a restructure, Williams’ contract would reach Pierce-type AAV, but for now, my thesis remains.
Even going back to his Tennessee Titans days, when Vrabel was bringing the team to consecutive playoff runs and near Super Bowl berths, he was not signing expensive players. Until his last season in Tennessee, even future Hall of Famer Derrick Henry rarely had a cap hit of more than $10 million.
In 2022, Vrabel’s Titans didn’t have a single player bringing in more than $10 million against the cap.
It’s just not his style.
I don’t see any reason that would change to go after a receiver who wasn’t even the No. 1 option on his former team.
It seems much more likely that Vrabel and Executive Vice President of Player Operations Eliot Wolf will look to replace Stefon Diggs' production by combining two lesser-paid pass catchers, whether that be a free agent and a draft pick, or someone already inside of the organization.