Why New England Hasn’t Added Help At Wide Receiver

The New England Patriots needed help at several positions, including wide receiver. Julian Edelman announced his retirement last season, leaving the big hole on Bill Belichick’s roster. The Patriots have several options in the offseason and they may soon get great players. Well, the Patriots will get players on their own terms. What does that mean?

Jeremy Fowler from ESPN reported that the Patriots showed interest in getting a receiver early in the offseason, “but weren’t comfortable overspending” to get another player.

New England will keep searching for a receiver

Team owner Robert Kraft encouraged Belichick to get a lot of players last offseason. The head coach brought great free agents and made the much-needed moves to pack his roster with talent. Some of these players failed to perform in 2021. The Patriots spent a lot of money last year and don’t have much cap space at the moment. This forced the team to be more cautious this offseason.

Russell Gage from the Atlanta Falcons was a good option for the team and the Patriots could have signed him. Well, the Patriots weren’t into matching his three-year deal worth $30 million. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the money and Gage got his great deal. Belichick would never spend this much money on a player.

“So New England exhausted all options on the middle and lower tiers,” Fowler wrote, “and still nothing popped.”

Fowler detailed that the team didn’t jump into signing players to deals that would affect the Patriots’ compensatory draft pick formula in 2023. The team got cornerback Terrance Mitchell and Ty Montgomery in free agency and their deals aren’t that big, remember?

Montgomery won’t have a big role with the team and will probably take a role on special teams. Fowler added that the Patriots will pay close attention to the open market, searching for their next target. They need receivers, cornerbacks, linebackers… None of their additions will affect the space cap. Belichick will play wisely as usual. It’s a long offseason and the head coach will get the best players for his next roster.