The New England Patriots' offense stalled in a major way during the playoffs. They scored a single touchdown against the Chargers in a 16-3 win in the wild-card round, then scored 21 points despite forcing five turnovers against the Texans.
After a strip sack put New England inside the red zone against Denver, Drake Maye ran in a touchdown for their only score of the game. They totaled 78 yards in the first three quarters of the Super Bowl.
Needless to say, the Patriots' offense needs improvement. While the offensive line has been the main focus over the past few weeks, their lack of playmaking pass catchers does limit their ceiling.
A.J. Brown and George Pickens (franchise tag) have been mentioned as potential additions to the squad as big-ticket trade targets, but free agency may feature its own targets. In a recent article, ClutchPoints' Steve Silverman suggests that one player New England could look to target is Mike Evans.
Mike Evans wouldn't be a good fit in New England
The Patriots have a need at receiver going into the offseason. There's no doubt the room was vastly better in 2025 than it was in the 2024 season: four of the six players were new additions. Nonetheless, there remains real short-term volatility and little security beyond 2026.
Stefon Diggs is rumored to be a cut candidate, and even if he is on the team in '26, he'll turn 33 during the season. Mack Hollins also turns 33 at the beginning of the season and is in a contract year.
Both Kayshon Boutte and Pop Douglas will also be free agents at the end of 2026. 2025 draft picks Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III may have shown promise, but they combined for 13 catches in the regular season. All in all, there isn't much long-term security at the position.
Mike Evans, however fun he might be, would be redundant to the Patriots' receivers. Stylistically, the veteran would bring a big-bodied red zone threat into the fold, but he turns 33 in August. Signing him would mean the Patriots wouldn't have a single receiver on the roster that fits all three of the following categories.
Evans is a legend of the game and a future Hall of Famer, but New England needs to look for a younger option that can help Maye continue to grow for years to come. If the team wants a veteran target on the roster, they'd likely opt to keep Diggs (barring any legal mix-ups) rather than spin the dial on a different 32-year-old like Evans.
At this point, signing Evans to a short-term deal wouldn't make all that much sense for the Patriots. Looking to add a star wideout or top-64 talent through the draft seems like the more sensible route and would be the best for the team's future over the next half-decade.