Two of the top impending wide free agent receivers were hit with the franchise tag Tuesday. And a third doesn’t sound interested in joining the New England Patriots.
Kenny Golladay, who will hit the market after the Lions opted not to franchise him, is eyeing a departure from the culture he played in in Detroit, according to a report from Albert Breer of The MMQB.
“I’d be surprised if he goes to a program like the one he was in last year,” Breer tweeted.
If Golladay maintains that stance, it’s difficult to imagine him choosing the Patriots, who both developed former Lions head coach Matt Patricia and then rehired him as a special assistant after Detroit fired him last November.
Patricia went 13-29-1 in 2 1/2 seasons with the Lions — never winning more than six games — and his abrasive coaching style alienated many of his players. The Patriots reportedly were the only team on ex-Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford’s no-trade list.
Interestingly, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald cited a league source who predicted Golladay would sign with either the Miami Dolphins or New York Giants — two teams coached by former Patriots assistants (Brian Flores and Joe Judge, respectively).
As the top free agent wideout available following Allen Robinson’s and Chris Godwin’s franchise tagging, Golladay might wind up being out of New England’s preferred price range anyway. And this year’s free agent class features a wealth of options at the wideout position — one of the Patriots’ biggest offseason needs.
Potential Patriots targets include Corey Davis, Will Fuller, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Curtis Samuel, Marvin Jones, Josh Reynolds, Adam Humphries and Keelan Cole. New England is set to enter the new league year with upward of $60 million in salary cap space.
It’s unclear if Jones, who played the last five seasons in Detroit, has any reservations about joining a team that employs Patricia.
