The New England Patriots exhausted all options of adding a true coverage-dictating receiver to their offense and ended up with Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator, a DeVante Parker extension and the additions of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki.
Those players mentioned are more than fine as ancillary options, but the Patriots lack a true game changer. Unless Tyquan Thornton is a hit or the Patriots draft one early in 2024, there isn’t much they can do.
Teams do not let their elite, or borderline elite, young receivers go easily, especially on rookie contracts. The same goes for most positions with the way things are easily malleable as it pertains to the salary cap.
With new money coming in for the NFL, teams are willing to spend big to retain their stars. Very rarely do we see elite players hitting the open market. But there could be a butterfly effect brewing in the NFL, and the Patriots should be ready to pounce if that happens.
Running back Jonathan Taylor has requested a trade after vocal Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay publicly criticized the current issues with the running back market. Taylor is only 25 years old, two years into the league and one of the best offensive weapons in football. But he isn’t the domino effect I’m referring to here.
The player I’m referring to is none other than 25-year-old wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. If a player with the pull of Taylor requests a trade due to the owner’s behavior, there will be a natural decay of team trust. That decay could lead to the Patriots swooping in and offering draft capital and a top market extension for Pittman, who is currently playing on an expiring contract.
Pittman is a big-bodied receiver who has been productive in his last two seasons and is in the prime of his career. The Patriots could finally have themselves a true No. 1 receiver that matches the timeline of Mac Jones. That would allow Smith-Schuster to be fully unlocked and be more productive as a No. 2 option.
Pittman could also take pressure off Parker, particularly with him being a natural separator. Parker could be an effective No. 3 option in rotation with Tyquan Thornton or rookie Demario Douglas.
A wide receivers room of Pittman, Smith-Schuster, Parker, Thornton and Douglas, with Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki as pass-catching tight ends, would be a lethal skilled group for Jones to utilize.
It may take some time for this to shake out, but if the Patriots wish to be aggressive, they could offer a package to Indianapolis for Pittman at the end of the season, if things go awry for the team.
Something along the lines of a 2024 first-round draft pick, 2024 third-rounder and a 2025 third-rounder could get it done. It would be anticipated that Pittman would sign a $25 million-plus AAV contract extension, but it would be worth it for one of the league’s best natural separators, which is something the Patriots’ offense clearly lacks.
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