Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots are back to the drawing board this offseason after a failed attempt to win a seventh Super Bowl for the franchise.
They’re banking on the continued growth of quarterback Drake Maye, who is young and already showing signs of greatness, as he was among last season’s MVP candidates. Maye had talented receivers to throw to, including Kayshon Boutte, Hunter Henry, and Stefon Diggs, but the team parted ways with the latter.
Diggs had the most targets among Maye’s options at 102, and was the team’s only receiver with over 1,000 yards last season, with their tight-end Henry the next closest.
The team releasing Diggs after the Super Bowl left them with a glaring need for another star receiver, which the Patriots haven’t necessarily addressed during free agency. However, there’s still a player they could try to sign, if they’re willing to take the big money risk.
There remains a valuable option in NFL free agency: George Pickens. The Dallas Cowboys put a non-exclusive franchise tag on him this offseason, allowing them to match another team’s offer, if they want to.
If the Cowboys don’t match the other team’s offer, that team would have to send over two first-round draft picks as part of the deal. According to Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, the Patriots and New York Jets are two teams with the necessary cap space to make such a move happen.
Last week, The Big Lead listed New England as the team with the fifth-most NFL salary cap space after offseason moves. Ahead of them are the Los Angeles Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders, and Tennessee Titans.
This offseason, New England made a slew of moves, including releasing Diggs to free up about $16.8 million in cap space. Additionally, they released running back Antonio Gibson along with linebackers Jahlani Tavai and Anfernee Jennings.
However, they also made some moves, and that included signing former Green Bay Packers receiver Romeo Doubs to a four-year, $68-80M contract, which could address their needs at receiver. Doubs had 55 receptions for 724 yards and six touchdowns last season, averaging 13.2 yards per reception.
That’s not quite Pickens’ numbers, which included 1,493 yards and nine touchdowns last season, but one might contend that having Doubs as a top option for Maye could help bump the former Packers WR’s numbers up.
That said, Robert Kraft and the Patriots are never scared when it comes to making big moves to acquire talented players. That includes them getting Diggs for this past season, and Hall of Famer Randy Moss to try to help Tom Brady achieve more Super Bowl rings.
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