Previewing this year’s wide receiver class ahead of free agency.
The New England Patriots are expected to be among the most active teams in NFL free agency this offseason. Not only do they have holes all over their roster and several crucial areas that need to be addressed, they also have vast resources to play with: New England is tops in the league with over $130 million in salary cap space available.
It seems likely that some of those resources will be invested in the wide receiver room, either via free agency or the trade market. If the Patriots opt to go the first of those routes, their options have been limited a bit thanks to the Cincinnati Bengals franchise-tagging Tee Higgins. Nonetheless, there are some players potentially worth pursuing as part of a bigger overall strategy to increase production at the position.
Patriots’ current wide receiver situation
The Patriots have numbers at the wide receiver position heading toward free agency, with currently seven players signed for 2025. Sitting atop the depth chart are last year’s top three, Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne and DeMario Douglas; Boutte established himself as the starting outside/X-receiver, Bourne served as the top Z coming off his ACL tear, and Douglas served as a slot who primarily entered the field in passing situations.
Beyond those three, New England also has two members of its 2024 draft class on the roster. Second-rounder Ja’Lynn Polk and fourth-rounder Javon Baker both disappointed during their rookie seasons, but for now remain in a position to show the new coaching staff that they can still be of value to the operation.
Beyond those five, JaQuae Jackson was retained as an exclusive rights free agents and John Jiles signed to a reserve/futures pact after ending 2024 on the practice squad. At least on paper, neither of the two is expected to significantly move the needle for the unit.
In total, the Patriots’ wide receiver group is coming off an underwhelming season. The two brightest spots were sophomores Douglas and Boutte: the former was tied for the team lead with 66 catches and 3 touchdowns and also ranked second with 621 yards, while the latter led all Patriots receivers in snaps (760; 69.5%) and yards per reception (13.7) while finishing with a 43-589-3 stat-line.
Patriots free agency targets at wide receiver
Considering the Patriots’ shortcomings in the passing game last season, the belief is that the wide receiver position will be treated as a priority heading into the new league year. As noted above, however, the free agency class’s consensus No. 1 — Tee Higgins — getting the franchise tag has changed the outlook.
Even with New England having massive amounts of cap space, the available targets all come with question marks about their ability to transform the team’s aerial attack. From our perspective, the five best fits in terms of proven ability and projected role are the following.
Amari Cooper (UFA): The fourth overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Cooper might be getting up there in age but still offers several things the Patriots might covet: experience, deep-field ability, and proven production regardless of circumstance. Even though he finished the 2024 season with a career-low 44 catches for 547 yards and 4 touchdowns while spending time in Cleveland and Buffalo, he would become serious competition for Boutte at the X-receiver spot and give Drake Maye a more reliable option on the perimeter.
Chris Godwin (UFA): With Higgins off the board, Godwin projects as the best free agent wide receiver available and somebody the Patriots might have a keen interest in. While more of a Z-receiver than an outside option, he would add a dynamic presence to Josh McDaniels’ offense and serve as a volume target and go-to guy for Drake Maye. Even though he is coming off a season-ending ankle injury — one that should not limit his availability for the offseason program and training camp — he likely won’t come cheap: New England might have to pay him upwards of $25 million per year to bring him aboard.
Joshua Palmer (UFA): A third-round draft pick in 2021, Palmer has had steady if not necessarily eye-opening production during his time with the Los Angeles Chargers: serving as a second and third wide receiver option for quarterback Justin Herbert, he averaged just under 46 catches and 572 receiving yards in his four seasons with the team. He would also not be a No. 1 in the Patriots’ offense, but nonetheless provide established competition and inside/out flexibility at what will likely be a relatively reasonable price tag.
Darius Slayton (UFA): Slayton spent his entire five-year career with the New York Giants, and along the way put up steady numbers even with his quarterbacks typically not being up to the task. A change of scenery might still be welcome for the 28-year-old, and the Patriots would provide that: Slayton would likely slide into a starting role on the perimeter and as such compete with Kayshon Boutte for the top X-receiver job. Patriots vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden having spent the 2024 season with the Giants also seemingly works in his favor.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (UFA): Speaking of wide receivers with connections to the current Patriots regime, Westbrook-Ikhine seems like a definitive name to watch. The 27-year-old was signed by Mike Vrabel’s Tennessee Titans as a rookie free agent in 2020, and in the five seasons since then has put up solid numbers as a third receiver. Coming off a career-year that saw him catch 32 passes for 497 yards and 9 touchdowns, he would be a complementary piece to raise the floor on the outside.
The wide receiver market obviously extends beyond those five names, with players such as Stefon Diggs, Brandin Cooks, Marquise Brown, D.J. Chark or D’Wayne Eskridge also looking like potential targets to add to the mix. At the end of the day, however, there are several factors impacting what New England will end up doing — starting with the internal evaluation, especially in regards to Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker.
Additionally, the Patriots will also keep a close eye on the other avenues of talent acquisition: the trade market, potential cap casualties, and the draft. All three of those could have some attractive candidates available, which in turn might impact New England’s free agency strategy and ability to bring a potential difference-maker aboard at the wide receiver position.
This year’s free agency itself is relatively light in that regard. While that does not mean the Patriots won’t make moves to improve their current group, the big splash that would have been a Tee Higgins signing will have to happen in some other way. Whether that is trading for a player such as Brandon Aiyuk or DK Metcalf, or picking up Davante Adams after his expected release, or drafting a top-flight prospect such as Tetairoa McMillan, Emeka Egbuka, or Luther Burden, will be seen.
One thing is certain, though. There is plenty of intrigue surrounding the Patriots and their wide receiver group with less than a week to go before the start of the NFL’s legal tampering period.