Patriots should be wary of overpaying Packers wide receiver

The New England Patriots know that they need to get Mac Jones some perimeter talent to help him take off in his second season. After all, they’ve seen for themselves just how important it can be to be aggressive after nabbing Matthew Judon and Hunter Henry last year.

One area where New England could look to upgrade is wide receiver, as they lacked a speed demon who could get behind the defense regularly. Due to the Green Bay Packers needing to cut space to retain Aaron Rodgers, Marquez Valdes-Scantling might be on his way out of town.

On paper, this seems like a perfect fit. Valdes-Scantling brings explosion and verticality to a team that badly needs it. However, financial obligations might end up getting in the way, as the price being thrown out there for the former South Florida alum’s services borders on the insane.

League rumors that have been confirmed by Connor Hughes of The Athletic say that Valdes-Scantling could earn a contract that pays him between $11 million and $14 million per season. Hughes attributes this rise in value to the paydays handed out to Mike Williams and Michael Gallup.

Will the Patriots sign Marquez Valdes-Scantling?

On one hand, Valdes-Scantling has averaged 17.5 yards per catch and led the league with 20.9 per receptions in 2020. Built like a small forward with long limbs and nice verticality, he could be the No. 2 option behind Kendrick Bourne in the passing game should he join New England.

On the other hand, MVS has never topped 700 yards in a season despite the fact he’s playing with one of the best quarterbacks of all time and Davante Adams. In a high-octane offense where he was the No. 2 receiver, he was so inconsistent that many were puzzled when Green Bay chose not to draft a replacement in either of the last 2 years.

The Patriots might be better off drafting a player with a similar body type and/or style of play in the second or third round than spending that much money on a player who has never become a feared second receiver. Signing him at that price would make it impossible to effectively replace players like Ted Karras.

Valdes-Scantling is a solid No. 3 receiver with the size and speed to stretch a defense. If the Patriots can sign him on a nice seven-figure deal, that would be a solid bit of business. Unfortunately, if Valdes-Scantling’s value is anywhere near the $14 million per year range, the Pats will need to rule him out as a potential acquisition.

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