Kenny Britt will be back with the New England Patriots in 2018.
The Patriots on Tuesday picked up Britt’s contract option, a source told NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. Rapoport reported New England is “looking for big things” out of the wide receiver, whom the team signed to a two-year deal in December.
Britt signed a four-year, $32.5 million contract with the Cleveland Browns last offseason but appeared in just nine games before being released. The 29-year-old played sparingly for the Patriots after they picked him up, appearing in three games and catching two passes for 23 yards. He was a healthy scratch for all three playoff games.
A first-round draft pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2009, Britt is entering his 10th NFL season. He flopped in Cleveland but was a 1,000-yard receiver just one year earlier for a 2016 Los Angeles Rams team that lacked consistent quarterback play.
Wide receiver currently is one of the Patriots’ deepest positions. Julian Edelman, Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Malcolm Mitchell (who missed all of this season with a knee injury) and Britt all are under contract through 2018, as are practice-squadders Riley McCarron and Cody Hollister.
Danny Amendola, who took pay cuts before each of the past three seasons to remain in New England, is set to hit free agency when the NFL league year opens next Wednesday. The veteran slot receiver is coming off one of the best seasons of his career and a highly productive playoff run, and though he’s expressed a desire to return for another season, he’s expected to receive significant interest from other teams.
Britt’s contract carries a cap hit of $1.47 million for the 2018 season.
