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Patriots' free agent signing might earn new contract sooner rather than later

Extending this player soon might be Vrabel's priority given his important role this season.
Graham Wilker
Graham Wilker

Musket Fire

New England Patriots - Wide Receiver Mack Hollins / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots made an array of additions to their roster this offseason, and the majority have been excellent signings. Stefon Diggs and Morgan Moses got more hype as big-name additions on offense, but Mack Hollins has played a big-time role for New England.

Hollins' versatility has stood out. He's been utilized as an in-line blocker, a deep threat, and a more traditional intermediate chain mover. He's led the team in receiving three times this season and had the second and third highest yardage totals of his career in two of those games.

He's had the second most productive season of his career so far, and he still has three games to go to further improve his numbers.

In 14 games, Hollins has 39 catches for 481 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He's played 55% or more offensive snaps in all but one game this season, and in the six-game streak from Week 8 to Week 13, he played 70% snaps in five of the matchups.

Mack Hollins could be in line for an extension with the Patriots already

Mack Hollins has proven he is a legitimate depth option at receiver. Ideally, the Patriots would find another star option to play opposite Diggs, but Hollins has been more than capable when called upon.

Aside from his versatility and production, he's clearly a highly respected member of the locker room, and Vrabel praised him for his leadership and attitude.

Hollins is slated to have a cap hit of $4.7 million in 2026, the second year of the two-year, $8.4 million contract he signed in March.

As I wrote a little while ago, an extension for Hollins at the moment seems a bit overzealous. He's been an excellent depth piece, but extending a journeyman receiver who will turn 33 at the beginning of next season seems unnecessary.

An edit to his contract for some extra guaranteed money at the end of the season seems appropriate to award him for his leadership and performance, but upgrades at the receiver position are in order, and both Kayshon Boutte and Pop Douglas will be in need of new contracts soon, too.

There's little doubt that coaches and players alike admire the former Tarheel, but pumping the brakes on a contract extension would be more responsible for the time being.

Graham Wilker

Graham Wilker

Graham Wilker is a contributor for FanSided’s New England Patriots blog, Musket Fire. He is an expert when it comes to both the Patriots and NFL, specifically free agency and the NFL Draft. He hasn’t missed a Pats game since November 11, 2018: a game in which they suffered a defeat against a Marcus Mariota-led Tennessee Titans. He’s been writing about the Patriots since 2018 when he started his first fan account on Instagram. When he got to college, he began writing for his college’s newspaper about the Patriots and the NFL more broadly, something he’s been doing since October 2024.