Tom Brady needs weapons if the New England Patriots are going keep him around. It’s as simple as that.
More specifically, he needs reliable pass catchers who can get on the same page as him while having an innate ability to create separation. Brady’s time of molding and making receivers better is abruptly coming to an end, so he needs veterans that can contribute on a championship level.
Drafting receivers can be hit or miss and it’s clear that New England must land one or two free agents who can make an immediate impact. The list of free agents is slim this offseason, so the Patriots must be aggressive to land one or two high-performing players.
Here’s a list of five free agents the Patriots should consider.
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
A.J. Green, 31, is the most explosive receiver to hit free agency this year — if healthy. The 6-foot-4, 210 pound receiver has played his eight NFL seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and was nothing short of a dominant force while on the field.
Aside from 2018 where Green’s season was cut to nine games due to an ankle injury, he’s recorded over 1,000 yards every year except for one — and he still recorded 964. He’s totaled 602 catches, 8,907 yards and 63 touchdowns in his career while averaging 80.2 yards per game.
Cincinnati finished 2-14 last season and there’s a general idea that Green wants to play for a contender at this point in his career. There was speculation the Patriots would trade for him during the 2019 season, but instead they made a move for Mohamed Sanu. New England needs weapons and the addition of Green could be enticing enough to bring Brady back for 2020.
There is a higher risk for injury, but the Patriots could use that as leverage to conjure up a team-friendly contract. Green joining New England would make sense for both parties and it’d likely be short-term deal with a Super Bowl or bust mentality.