The Patriots reportedly are showing interest in an oft-injured free agent wide receiver.
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport on Thursday reported former Minnesota Vikings wideout Bisi Johnson was flying to New England for a free agent visit.
Johnson, whom the Vikings drafted in the seventh round out of Colorado State in 2019, is coming off back-to-back lost seasons. The soon-to-be 26-year-old suffered a torn ACL in training camp in 2021 and another during the 2022 preseason and spent the entirety of both campaigns on injured reserve.
His best season came as a rookie, when he played in every game for Minnesota and caught 31 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns as a depth option behind Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. In 2020, Johnson initially beat out future All-Pro Justin Jefferson for the Vikings’ No. 2 receiver job but later relinquished it, ultimately finishing with 14 catches for 189 yards and no touchdowns in 16 games.
Given his injury history and modest career production, Johnson would be no more than a low-risk dart throw for the Patriots, who made a significant change to their receiving corps earlier this week by swapping out top option Jakobi Meyers for JuJu Smith-Schuster.
The Patriots also have DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton, Lynn Bowden and Tre Nixon under contract for the 2023 season and reportedly have expressed interest in big-name trade candidates DeAndre Hopkins and Jerry Jeudy. New England also had a representative at Odell Beckham Jr.’s free agent workout last weekend.
