During the 2025 offseason, the Patriots went all out in free agency, signing some of the most expensive players to upgrade their roster. The most notable of all was Milton Williams, who received the biggest contract in franchise history, and so far, he has proven he was worth the investment.
This offseason has been much different, however, despite the team still having a good amount of cap space to spend. Instead of spending $100+ million on a single contract, as they did for Williams a year ago, they gave their most expensive contract to wide receiver Romeo Doubs for four years and $68 million.
It would be fair to argue that, because their recent roster was good enough to reach the Super Bowl, they didn't need to make as many upgrades this time around. However, it's still a noticeable difference over a one-year span.
Regardless, one thing that won't change is the expectations for the player who received that impressive contract, so Doubs is going to be a hyperfocus in training camp and the regular season.
From what we've seen so far, he's been far from a standout, and that means he will inevitably feel a lot of pressure once the team returns later this month.
The pressure is on for Romeo Doubs to live up to his expensive contract with the Patriots
Because he received such a hefty contract, it's clear that the Patriots' higher-ups believe in the kind of player that Doubs can be for Drake Maye and the offense. We're yet to see that since he joined the team, but training camp is where things typically start to come together.
We know we'll see even more chemistry building between the quarterback and A.J. Brown, who will be the leading receiver on this year's roster. Doubs is expected to be his No. 2, and given the opportunity, he will need to step up in practice this summer.
He's already proven he can be an integral part of a receiving corps through his four years with the Packers, even recording his best season just last year when he totaled 55 receptions for 724 yards and six touchdowns.
That's far from what someone like Brown, or even Stefon Diggs, has accomplished in recent years, and Doubs hasn't crossed the 1,000-yard receiving threshold just yet. But there's a chance he gets much closer working with a quarterback like Maye and an offensive coordinator like Josh McDaniels. Maybe even having a player like Brown to play alongside, too.
It would immediately prove that Doubs was not as risky a signing as some have thought over the last few months and show that he can be exactly what the offense needs moving forward. That would certainly help with the concerns surrounding Brown and his knee health, even more so given his age, which continues to be a lingering worry for some.
So this inevitably puts a lot of pressure on Doubs to perform at a high level, and the expectation from the Patriots is that he will.
Time will tell, of course, and hopefully we'll see exactly what they believe he can be during training camp, so he doesn't remain a hot topic throughout the regular season and we can just enjoy the kind of player he is instead.
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