Out with Danny Amendola and in with Jordy Nelson?
The New England Patriots lost an important piece of their offense Tuesday when Amendola reportedly agreed to sign with the Miami Dolphins in free agency. It didn’t take long for social media to link the Patriots to another veteran wide receiver, though, as the Green Bay Packers released Nelson, who many suggested would be a good fit in New England.
OK, we’ll stop there. You get the point. As one Twitter user noted, the number of Nelson-to-Patriots tweets was overwhelming.
So, what are the chances of this actually happening? Probably slim, despite Amendola’s departure.
The Patriots already have enviable wide receiver depth. Julian Edelman, Brandin Cooks and Chris Hogan figure to have prominent roles, while Malcolm Mitchell, Phillip Dorsett, Kenny Britt, Riley McCarron and Cody Hollister will compete for targets. The Patriots also could draft a receiver, especially if they believe they’ll lose Cooks in free agency after next season.
That said, it’s obviously an intriguing idea given Nelson’s stature. He’ll turn 33 years old in May and is coming off a down season (53 catches, 482 yards, six touchdowns), but the Packers were without quarterback Aaron Rodgers for nine games in 2017, and Nelson was excellent as recently as the 2016 season.
Nelson totaled 97 catches for 1,257 yards with an NFL-high 14 touchdowns in 2016 after missing all of the 2015 season with a torn ACL. He totaled a career-high 98 catches for 1,519 yards with 13 touchdowns in 2014.
