In my last Patriots column, I talked about paying the players who deserve the money, in particular Matthew Judon. Well since that column, New England still hasn’t paid him. However, they did try and pay star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk around 30 million a year.
All offseason, the front office talked about “weaponizing” the offense, and to their credit they tried. They tried with Calvin Ridley who decided to go to Tennessee instead. Sidenote, don’t blame him there’s no income tax down there. And they now tried with Aiyuk. Reports suggest the 49ers and the Patriots had a deal in place, it just came down to convincing Aiyuk to come to New England. In the end, he didn’t want to.
It’s odd because Aiyuk said he wants to be paid like a top receiver, New England said they will pay you like a top receiver and he says no… anyway.
Where do the Pats go now? Well, it’s time to develop the receivers you have. Second-year standout Demario Douglas and the two rookie receivers Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker in addition to the vets Kendrick Bourne and KJ Osborn have the potential to be a decent wide receiver core. JuJu Smith-Schuster was recently released, paving more playing time for the younger receivers.
During New England’s preseason game against the Panthers, Polk made a few strong catches showing his wingspan and ability to snag balls out of the air despite it not being the most accurate of passes. Polk will be a chain mover in New England and if he can develop a strong relationship with Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett then he has the ability to catch a lot of footballs this fall.
The Pats also bring back second-year player Douglas who was one of the few positives from the 2023 season. Douglas’s explosiveness and ability to create space will see him operate as the team’s number-one receiver while Bourne comes back from his torn ACL and the rookies get adjusted to the speed of the NFL.
There are still questions about the wide receiver position, but it is encouraging to see the Patriots front office willing to throw big money at a wide receiver something that the old regime rarely did. It’s encouraging because there is always another wide receiver.
As much as I like Aiyuk, he hasn’t proven he’s a legitimate number one-option. On his current team, he has the likes of Christian McCaffrey as their star running back who is a threat as a receiver. They also have Deebo Samuel who is another player the opposing team has to gameplan for. Listen, I wanted Aiyuk but I’m not upset about him snubbing us.
Next summer the likes of DK Metcalf, CeeDee Lamb, and Tee Higgins will most likely be available to sign as a free agent or trade for. With the intent shown by the Patriots brass for their pursuit of Aiyuk, there’s a good chance they try and make a move again either at the trade deadline or next offseason.
