If the New England Patriots are in the market for a new slot receiver, a steady veteran just hit the market.
The Buffalo Bills officially released Cole Beasley on Thursday after attempts to trade him were unsuccessful. The soon-to-be 33-year-old now is free to sign with any team.
Beasley has been consistently productive throughout his decade-long NFL career, and he was heavily involved in the Bills' offense, seeing 100-plus targets in each of his three seasons in Buffalo. He caught 82 passes in each of the last two seasons, tallying 967 yards and four touchdowns in 2020 and 693 and one in 2021.
At 5-foot-8, 174 pounds, Beasley is the type of small, shifty slot receiver that New England did not have on its roster this past season, with the smooth, lanky Jakobi Meyers instead handling slot duties. He's getting up there in age but hasn't missed more than one game in any season since 2014 and would fill a perceived need for New England.
Bringing in Beasley would invite plenty of off-the-field drama, however. This season, the wideout loudly protested the NFL's COVID-19 policies and was fined multiple times for violating them. His refusal to be vaccinated also resulted in him being sidelined for Buffalo's Week 16 win matchup in New England, which Buffalo won 33-21.
The NFL suspended most of its COVID protocols earlier this offseason, but it's unclear how Beasley's outspokenness on the matter would play in the Patriots' locker room.
The Patriots currently have six receivers under contract for the 2022 season: Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor, N'Keal Harry, Kristian Wilkerson, Tre Nixon and Malcolm Perry. They placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Meyers, who said earlier this offseason that he "definitely" wanted to re-sign.
