New England Patriots,Brandon Lloyd rep have not spoken

Sources close to Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe and Tom E. Curran of CSNNE are casting a doubtful cloud regarding Brandon Lloyd‘s future with the New England Patriots. The veteran wide receiver’s “erratic behavior”, inability to find a consistent role with the offense, and his upcoming $3 million option are making him expendable to the Patriots. In fact, the source close to Curran stated that the Patriots don’t even have Lloyd in their 2013 depth chart; let alone in their future plans.

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Lloyd caught 74 passes for 911 yards last season, and he came up strong towards the end of the year. But fans were frustrated with his unwillingness to get yards after the catch, and some believe he wasn’t productive enough; especially to warrant the toleration of hot-and-cold behavior from the wideout. As most of you remember, some people in the Denver Broncos organization even went as far as to wonder if Lloyd was bipolar.

But the larger issue here with Lloyd is that the Patriots need a No. 1 wide receiver who can stretch the field, more than a No. 1 wideout who is merely another possession receiver with character flaws. I expect the Patriots to at least take a look at an elite wide receiver on the free agent market, and I have a strong feeling WR will be a priority in the 2013 NFL Draft for the Pats.

For now, though, Brandon Lloyd and the New England Patriots have not been in contact regarding his situation. According to Ron Borges of the Boston Herald in his excellent column defending Lloyd, the Patriots and Lloyd’s player rep have not been in contact this offseason thus far. His option crops up at the end of March.

In my opinion, the main reason why Lloyd will be cut doesn’t have to do with production or even his character issues that could very well be a bit exaggerated. I think it’s because the Patriots want to move in another direction with regards to their No. 1 wide receiver by getting a bigger (it doesn’t have to be physically) weapon at the position.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.