All indicators level to Calvin Ridley finally signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an alternative of the New England Patriots. And as soon as that involves fruition someday round 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, when the brand new league yr begins, the Patriots will nonetheless have an enormous void to fill.
Patriots de facto normal supervisor Eliot Wolf and firm got down to weaponize the offense this offseason. The primary section of the offseason has come and gone with out the crew doing so. The return of receiver Kendrick Bourne and tight finish Hunter Henry are high-quality strikes. As are the signings of Austin Hooper and pass-catching working again Antonio Gibson. However they don’t transfer the needle after a 4-13 marketing campaign.
The Patriots nonetheless may handle the state of affairs within the NFL draft. Nearly everybody praises the receiver depth within the class.
However on condition that it seems to be like New England will draft a quarterback with its first decide — and thus not land high-end wideouts like Marvin Harrison Jr. or Rome Odunze — the Patriots possible must transition to the commerce market or add a cap casualty.
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Listed below are 5 wideouts who make sense:
Tee Higgins
Higgins reportedly has requested to be traded by the Cincinnati Bengals, who used their franchise tag on the receiver final month. It’s not all the time a good suggestion to surrender draft capital for a participant who you then should signal to a long-term contract, however this needs to be an exception for the Patriots. Higgins, given each his age (25) and manufacturing as Cincinnati’s WR2 behind Ja’Marr Chase, would give the Patriots a real prime wideout. It was recognized the trail to Higgins could be tougher than signing a free agent like Ridley, nevertheless it’s all the time been price pursuing.
Brandon Aiyuk
The 49ers have mentioned they plan to maintain Aiyuk, who enters the ultimate yr of his rookie contract after San Francisco picked up his fifth-year choice. However maybe Aiyuk may develop bored with contract negotiations and ask to be despatched elsewhere. Aiyuk, much like Higgins, is youthful (25) and matches the mildew of a respectable WR1. It’d take a second-round decide to pry him from San Francisco, however after a back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, Aiyuk is price it. It’s an funding in your younger quarterback, in spite of everything.
Courtland Sutton
Sutton didn’t seem too thrilled the Denver Broncos traded Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns over the weekend. Maybe his distaste for the transfer and Denver’s impending rebuild causes Sutton to be a commerce candidate himself. Sutton possible would come cheaper than both Higgins or Aiyuk, which makes him a viable candidate regardless of the very fact it might imply New England is banking on receiver depth relatively than high-end WR1 expertise. The 28-year-old Sutton completed the 2023 marketing campaign with 59 catches on 90 targets for 772 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s set to change into a free agent in 2026 with cap hits of $17 million every of the following two seasons.
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The beneath candidates shall be out there on the open market.
Hunter Renfrow
Renfrow has been linked to the Patriots ever since he was snatching ankles at Clemson. And now the 2021 Professional Bowler is shall be launched by the Las Vegas Raiders as a cap casualty, in accordance with NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. Whereas Renfrow doesn’t provide the identical WR1 upside like Higgins or Aiyuk, not like these two, the Patriots wouldn’t want to surrender something to land him. The 28-year-old Renfrow caught 103 balls for 1,038 yards and 9 touchdowns throughout that Professional Bowl marketing campaign. He’s fell down the depth chart after Las Vegas acquired Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, totaling 61 catches for 555 yards and two touchdowns in his las two seasons (27 video games).
Mike Williams
The veteran receiver will hit the open market as a cap casualty, as confirmed by the Los Angeles Chargers on Wednesday. Williams didn’t make sense as a commerce candidate given his funds and harm historical past. However now that he’s out there, the Patriots may do a lot worse than touchdown the 29-year-old. Maybe they might even land him on a team-friendly deal given he’s getting back from a torn ACL in September 2023.