The New England Patriots have been interested in adding wide receiver talent this offseason, but only on their own terms.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Wednesday reported the Patriots “wanted to add receiver help” in the opening days of the new NFL league year “but (weren’t) comfortable overspending” to get it.
Former Atlanta Falcons wideout Russell Gage “would have been a prime target,” per Fowler’s report, but the Patriots would not have been willing to match the three-year, $30 million contract Gage received from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“So New England exhausted all options on the middle and lower tiers,” Fowler wrote, “and still nothing popped.”
Fowler reported the Patriots have been reluctant to sign players to contracts that would “compromise” their compensatory draft pick formula for 2023. They’ve signed just two external free agents thus far (cornerback Terrance Mitchell and receiver/running back Ty Montgomery) and both are on budget deals.
Montgomery technically is an addition to the Patriots’ receiving corps, but he is expected to contribute mostly on special teams if he makes the roster. Per Fowler’s report, the Patriots will “continue to comb the market on wideouts, possibly via trade.” Trading for players or signing ones who were released by their previous team does not impact the comp pick formula.
Free agent wideouts still available as of Wednesday afternoon included Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Julio Jones, Will Fuller, Cole Beasley, Sammy Watkins, Emmanuel Sanders and Dede Westbrook. Of that group, Landry, Jones and Beasley were released.
The Patriots placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Jakobi Meyers and have Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor, N’Keal Harry, Kristian Wilkerson, Tre Nixon and Malcolm Perry under contract for the upcoming season.
