The Patriots are looking to upgrade the receiving corps around Drake Maye this offseason.
Following a second straight 4-13 season with a second straight head coaching change, the New England Patriots remain in full-on rebuilding mode. They are further along than other teams, though: with Drake Maye showing considerable promise during his 2024 rookie campaign, the team has found a quarterback to build around.
Doing so is the Patriots’ main goal this offseason. While that process starts with improving an offensive line that struggled with consistency of both personnel and performance last year, the team also is trying to upgrade the receiving corps surrounding Maye.
One way to do that? Acquiring a classic No. 1-caliber wide receiver, something the team has not had since the late 2010s.
While it appears that Tee Higgins is out of reach after once again getting franchise-tagged by the Cincinnati Bengals, New England is exploring a multitude of options in free agency, on the trade market, and in the NFL Draft.
Free agency is relatively shallow in that regard. With Higgins off the market, the most attractive options appear to be Chris Godwin and recently-released Davante Adams. Godwin in particular is a player the Patriots are rumored to be high on and could try to bring aboard by using their financial resources — a league-leading $134.5 million in salary cap space — to their advantage.
If nothing materializes on that front, or they are unwilling to explore lower-tier options on the open market, the Patriots are reportedly also actively forcing their luck on the trade market. So far, they have been linked to two players — Seattle’s DK Metcalf and Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown — and might also be interested in San Francisco’s Brandon Aiyuk should he indeed become available.
Whether the Patriots’ efforts in regards to Metcalf and Brown have been anything more than exploratory is not known at this point in time. There is no denying, though, that both would fall into that WR1 category the team is looking for and immediate improve a current depth chart headlined by Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne and DeMario Douglas.
The same would be true for the top wideouts available in this year’s draft. Heisman Trophy Winner Travis Hunter, who wants to be both a full-time receiver and a full-time cornerback at the next level, is the biggest name out of a group that also includes the likes of Tetairoa McMillan, Luther Burden, Emeka Egbuka and Matthew Golden.
All five could be selected on Day 1, and either one of them would help the Patriots instantly improve their wide receiver corps. The team has had reported pre-draft meetings with three of them — Hunter, McMillan, Golden — so far.
The Patriots diversifying their efforts shows that they are serious about finding a No. 1 wideout to pair with Drake Maye. But they are well-aware that doing so will not be easy either.
“It’s hard,” said head coach Mike Vrabel at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last week. “You usually got to draft them. But then sometimes, based on circumstances, available for trade. I think that we’ll explore every opportunity that we can to add great players that we feel like are the right fit and that can help us. There’s only so many options in free agency and a trade, and the draft. We’ll explore all three of those.”
A week before the official start of free agency and the NFL trading period, that is exactly what the Patriots are doing.