K.J. Osborn makes it clear he will not miss the Patriots after recent release

The Patriots' offense during the 2024 season was not projected to be very good, even if rookie quarterback Drake Maye began the year as the starter. The defense was believed to be the side of the team that would keep them in games and dominate the way they have over the last few years, but that is far from what we've seen so far.

The offense has been disappointing, even with the lowered expectations. The receiving corps has been particularly poor and has been one of the most frustrating aspects of the offense's efforts on game day.

It has led to healthy scratches of rookies and veterans, switching around the starting group, and two players being waived mid-season. The first was Tyquan Thornton, the former second-year receiver Bill Belichick was blasted for drafting, and the latest was K.J. Osborn earlier this week.

He was brought in on a one-year contract and was supposed to be the go-to guy for Jacoby Brissett in Kendrick Bourne's absence, only for that not to happen and for the former Viking to spend more time as a healthy scratch than on the field. He was waived earlier this week and quickly claimed by the Washington Commanders, where it appears Osborn could not be happier to be.

K.J. Osborn should have worked out within the Patriots offense this season

Despite putting together an impressive resume playing behind Justin Jefferson for the first four years of his career, Osborn was nonexistent in the Patriots offense, and things never got better as the weeks went on.

It was clear something was going on behind the scenes that the public was not made aware of, as Osborn took to social media at one point to air out his frustrations online. He eventually became the go-to healthy scratch among the overcrowded receiver room, and after the bye week, he mutually parted ways from New England.

In his first comments as a part of the Commanders organization, Osborn didn't hide his excitement about being out of Foxboro, and his limited remarks about his time with the team said far more than what we heard.

While it's unsurprising to hear this from a player who has long been considered disgruntled, and he has every right to be frustrated, it's not a great look for the new regime in New England to have a player this respected be dealt with in the way that he was nor express this sort of happiness to be away from the team.

Because they'll need to attract free agents in 2025 and beyond, it's crucial they don't develop a bad reputation from the way they treat their players, especially the free agents they chose to sign like Osborn. That's a surefire way to deter players they'd love and need to sign to even entertain coming to the Patriots, which is not a position they need to be in now or ever.

This is a situation Jerod Mayo and Co. need to learn from immediately and choose to sign talent that fits what they're trying to do with the offense rather than signing talent because they're available. Maybe the problem was that Osborn didn't fit what they wanted to do, and that's fine, but they should have figured that out long before it got to the point of releasing him mid-season after he developed a disdain for the team.

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