Patriots Newcomer Receives Endorsement From Star Quarterback

The Patriots’ wide receiving corps lacks a true No. 1 option, but that doesn’t mean the group can’t be very productive this season.

DeMario Douglas will look to build off a promising rookie campaign, while Kendrick Bourne vies to pick up where he left off last season. And then there’s K.J. Osborn, who’s about to play his first season outside of Minnesota.

Osborn never truly shined with the Vikings, but that’s largely because his spot on the depth chart was behind a pair of studs: Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. But Kirk Cousins, Osborn’s quarterback for all four of the 26-year-old’s seasons in Minneapolis, knows what his ex-teammate can bring to the table and he’s eager to see how he performs in New England.

“K.J. Osborn is a receiver who was with us in Minnesota who was kind of in the shadow of Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen,” Cousins said on a recent episode of “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” as transcribed by MassLive. “And I always felt like K.J. was better than the opportunities he got. He went to free agency and went to New England, and I’d love to see him have a huge year in New England kind of with a bigger role than what he had in Minnesota to show what he could do.”

Osborn clearly is excited about the potential opportunity to take on a larger role. The 2020 fifth-round pick believes he’s capable of being a No. 1 receiver for the Patriots, but more than anything else, he wants to help New England bounce back and put together a winning season.

Of course, it remains to be seen who will be throwing the football to Osborn and the rest of the Patriots pass-catchers. But that mystery should be solved once the 2024 NFL Draft is completed later this month.