The Patriots' wide receiver room has disappointed since Julian Edelman retired and Jacobi Meyers wasn't re-signed. It's flatly not good enough. Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels have a challenge on their hands to provide an offense for Drake Maye that can succeed. It's a prime objective for Team Vrabel.
Rookie Maye had to make do with Pop Douglas and Kayshon Boutte to a certain extent and not much else. That has to change if the Patriots are to rise from the bottom of the AFC East, having replaced the previous inhabitant, the New York Jets, in that subterranean position.
It's a tall order, and revamping the offensive line is job one on offense. Vrabel, having been a Head Coach for six years previously, is well aware of that and the necessity of having people who get open and catch the ball if a passing offense is to succeed.
Let's look at the Patriots' wide receiver room and suggest what it should look like in 2025.
The Patriots need to sign 2 wide receivers in free agency
The New England Patriots have been among the worst NFL teams in drafting wide receivers. Recent flops N'Keal Harry and Tyquan Thornton come readily to mind. The team has failed to draft capable receivers for years.
The suggested answer is not to draft WRs; add them to free agency (FA). In FA, the considerations change from potential and capability to cash. Many free agents don't pan out, especially later in their careers, so you must choose wisely. Yet, at least they have succeeded in the NFL before.
Signing a free-agent wide receiver in his prime and without any major current injury is optimum. That's where the Pats' mega-millions in cap space should be directed. The Patriots need both a No. One and a No. For two wide receivers, Free agency is the place to get them.
Let's look at the wide receivers that the Patriots should throw a proverbial bag at in free agency. If they work out and Coach Vrabel delivers an NFL-quality offensive line, then the sky will be the limit for the 2025 Patriots offense. So, who should be the free-agent targets, and what will the WR room look like after? That's next.
Patriots get these wide receivers in free agency
Topping the free-agent hit parade is Pro Football Focus's (PFF) top receiver on the market, Cincinnati's Tee Higgins, Higgins has everything the Pats are looking for in a No. 1 receiver. He's just entering his prime at age 26. He's big and productive.
In just 12 games in 2024, he notched 73 catches for 911 and 10 TDs. He's the top target, and the Patriots' imperative is to spend whatever it takes on a true No. 1 receiver for Drake Maye. Maye had hardly anyone to throw to in 2024 and still had a top rookie season.
Providing a bona fide No. 1 WR will make him that much better and win games. Expect a 100-catch and 1000-yard season with 15 or so TDs from Higgins if he's signed. They have lots of cash, and it can't be spent any better than on Higgins.
The next target is a no. 2 WR. The Pats don't have one, so they need to go free agency there, as well. Fortunately, they have a slot receiver, who, among all others, should benefit from a Josh McDaniels' offense in Pop Douglas.
Yet, after Douglas, they have maybe a three/four in Kayshon Boutte, and that's it. The solution is a veteran free agent to slot in as the second receiver. There are options on the market. Kendrick Bourne should be moved for a draft pick.
Veteran options who are over 30 and on the downside of their careers yet may still be an asset and not break the bank include Stephon Diggs, Amari Cooper, and DeAndre Hopkins. Stephon Diggs is a 31-year-old veteran well-familiar to Patriot Nation, having torched the Pats as a Buffalo Bill.
Yet, the best option is PFF's second-best receiver in free agency, 28-year-old Chris Godwin from Tampa Bay. Godwin only played seven games due to injury in 2024, yet he still had 50 receptions for 576 yards and five TDs. If his ankle checks out, the Pats may get somewhat of a discount, and Godwin and Higgins immediately make the Patriots' wide receiver room top-shelf.
Higgins and Godwin are the choices but Higgins and one of the other veterans mentioned is still a good haul. The Patriots can't afford to be lax. Adding Higgins and Godwin to Douglas and Boutte and maybe Bourne gives them a solid wide receiver room. They need to be on the phone at noon on March 10 talking to both. There's no time to waste.