The Patriots lost out on the Calvin Ridley sweepstakes to the Tennessee Titans following their ‘heavy’ pursuit of the veteran wide receiver.
New England was said to be in a bidding war with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who wanted to retain Ridley’s services, since Tuesday. The Jaguars were a team continuously attached to Ridley’s name throughout the NFL’s legal tampering window. The 1,000-yard receiver ultimately decided to sign a four-year, $92 million contract with the Titans on Wednesday evening.
Following the Ridley signing, CBS Sports revealed the Patriots will “mainly” focus on the draft to address the team’s need at the wide receiver position. The 2024 receiver class is projected to be among the most talented and deepest in recent years.
It’s too early to tell if New England would consider taking a receiver in the first two-rounds of the draft, but finding an option during day one or two would be ideal. Double-dipping at wide receiver in this year’s draft is certainly another route the organization could take.
Aside from the draft, the Patriots could acquire a veteran receiver through the trade market.
Here are some players that the Patriots should target:
Brandon Aiyuk
There’ve been rumors surrounding 2020 1st-round draft selection Brandon Aiyuk for several months, claiming he is unhappy with his situation in San Francisco. In 2023, the 25-year old receiver accumulated over 1300 receiving yards, catching seven touchdown passes. Aiyuk is a quality receiver, reliable separator, and an impressive route runner who was a crucial contributing piece that helped the 49ers make a Super Bowl appearance in 2023. The price for the 6’0″, 200-pound receiver could be decently over pick No. 34 in this year’s draft, but New England would be getting their WR1 of the future in return.
Tee Higgins
Higgins, unhappy with receiving the franchise tag from the Bengals, officially requested a trade from Cincinnati on Monday. Higgins had a rough 2023 season battling with the injury bug, leading him to an underwhelming 656-yard and 5-yard touchdown season in only 12 games. However, when healthy, Higgins has shown he has the potential to be a pro-bowl-caliber receiver, posting a combined 2,120 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2021 and 2022. The 6’4″, 219lb star could fill in as New England’s new X receiver on the offense, which they have been missing over the last few years with inconsistent candidates. The Bengals would likely receive a similar trade package for the 25-year-old as the 49ers would receive for Brandon Aiyuk.
Other veteran candidates could voice their unhappiness as the off-season progresses. As of now, Aiyuk and Higgins are the most discussed options. It’s important to note both Aiyuk and Higgins are 25-years old.
There may not be many options left in free agency, but there are some fair veteran candidates New England could target to join their receiving core that will likely get younger come draft night.
Marquise Brown
Similar to Tee Higgins, Marquise Brown did not have the 2023 season he envisioned, totaling 574 yards and only four touchdowns in 14 games. Brown hasn’t had the best quarterback situation during his time in Arizona due to the ACL injury to Kyler Murray that kept him out most of last season and during the back end of the 2022 season. However, the 26-year-old field stretcher played well in 2022 when Murray was healthy. In the seven games he played with Murray, he accumulated just over 500 yards and three touchdowns. Brown likely won’t be nearly as expensive as Calvin Ridley was and could be a solid addition to a thin receiver room.
Tyler Boyd
According to Mark Daniels of MassLive, the Patriots are showing interest in veteran receiver Tyler Boyd: “At this point, the level of ‘interest’ is the team is doing its due diligence on the 29-year-old veteran.”
Boyd has been an excellent receiver throughout his eight-year career, posting 1,000-yard seasons in 2018 and 2019. His production gradually declined once Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase arrived in Cincinnati. However, he remains a very polished receiver who can still provide a consistent third option. Pro Football Focus currently projects Boyd to receive a contract worth around $8.25M per year, which is more than affordable for the Patriots.
Other free agent wide receiver names include Odell Beckham Jr., Curtis Samuel, and DJ Chark Jr. New England’s current receiver room consists of DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, Juju Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Reagor, Kayshon Boutte, T.J. Luther, and Kawaan Baker.
