Phillip Dorsett, Nate Hairston

Wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, who in three seasons in New England caught 73 passes for 881 yards, said he should not have made the ‘mistake’ of coming back to New England last season. He is now with Seattle. Elise Amendola/Associated Press

 

Wide receiver Phillip Dorsett moved on from the New England Patriots earlier this offseason – and reportedly indicated he should’ve done it a while ago.

Talking to the Tacoma News Tribune, Dorsett said he was excited for a new opportunity with the Seattle Seahawks after signing a one-year deal in free agency. It was a different course of action from 2019, when Dorsett opted to return to New England on a one-year deal.

Looking back, the receiver seems to think he made the wrong decision.

“I could have come (to Seattle) last year, but I chose to stay in New England,” he said to the News Tribune. “I didn’t want to make that mistake again.”

The 5-foot-10, 192-pound Dorsett has always had elite speed. But since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2015, he’s never quite broken out as a star receiver. The Patriots traded for Dorsett before the start of the 2017 season. He had flashes of success in New England, but never had a huge impact. His most productive season with the Patriots came in 2019, when he caught 29 passes for 397 yards and five touchdowns over 14 games.

Over his three seasons in New England, Dorsett caught 73 passes for a total of 881 yards. He now enters his sixth NFL season at the age of 28 with a Seahawks team that’s more apt to throw the ball deep downfield, with a mobile, big-armed quarterback in Russell Wilson.

Still, Dorsett wasn’t completely negative in reflecting on his time in New England, saying that he “learned a lot about ball” from Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels.

After losing Dorsett in free agency, the Patriots signed former Jacksonville receiver Marqise Lee.

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