Last week at the NFL Combine, New England Director of Scouting Eliot Wolf said the Patriots knew what they had to do to fix their offense.
“In terms of physical skills, we need to weaponize the offense,” Wolf said. “We need to be faster and more explosive on defense. Height, weight, speed, playmaking ability – there will definitely be an emphasis on those things.”
A day later, Patriots Coach Jerod Mayo was asked about Wolf’s quote.
“It just looks like putting people on the offensive side of the ball that the defensive side has to prepare for,” Mayo said. “Whether that’s double teaming or anything like that. That’s what he means by that.”
Simply put – the Patriots want to find a game-changer on offense. As it turns out, that might be hard to accomplish.
On Monday, Mike Evans agreed to a two-year contract extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After the Cincinnati Bengals placed the franchise tag on Tee Higgins, the Patriots options for finding a No. 1 receiver are dwindling.
The team could still seek out a top available receiver in free agency. They also could look at the trade market. Last week, several general managers and NFL coaches talked about some potential Patriots targets.
Here’s where things stand with some potential Patriots fits:
Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley caught 76 passes for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
CALVIN RIDLEY
Calvin Ridley could be the Patriots best bet to weaponize their offense. The 29-year-old caught 76 passes for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns last season.
The Jacksonville Jaguars said they want to bring Ridley back. However, what complicates this situation is the trade stipulations that the team made with Atlanta. If the Jaguars re-sign Ridley, they owe the Falcons their second-round pick. That’ll become a third-rounder if the receiver signs elsewhere.
At the combine, Jaguars General Manager Trent Baalke said that wasn’t a factor in their pursuit of Ridley. He added that the team was currently trying to retain his services
“We’re not real concerned with that, whether it’s a second- or a third-round (pick),” Baalke said. “We’re just going to work with the player and see if we can come to an agreement. Whether that’s before that compensation changes or not, that remains to be seen, but we’re more focused on the player.
“I had a meeting with Calvin the other day in my office, had a great talk with Calvin, know exactly where he’s at, and then he knows where we’re at.”
MICHAEL PITTMAN
Michael Pittman represents another best-case scenario for the Patriots. He’s in the prime of his career at 26-years-old. He’s also coming off a career season where he made 109 receptions, 1,152 yards and four touchdowns.
Pittman would give the Patriots a young No. 1 receiver and it’s hard to find those.
The Indianapolis Colts know that, which is why they’re currently engaged in contract negotiations with Pittman’s agent. Colts General Manager Chris Ballard also wouldn’t rule out using the franchise tag on the receiver.
“Here’s what I’ll tell you, we’ve had talks with his agent, who is really good. His agent has been doing it for a long time. He’s really good at what he does. We’ll work hard to get a deal done,” Ballard said. “(The franchise tag) is a tool we have. I’m not going to say we’re not going to use it, but I’m not going to say we are. Hopefully, we can come to an agreement and find some compromise on a deal.”
The Bengals placed the franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins, but could become available in a trade. Jeff Dean/Associated Press
TEE HIGGINS
Tee Higgins would’ve been the top available free-agent receiver, but the Bengals acted quickly to give him the franchise tag.
The 25-year-old is a dangerous jump ball receiver. At 6-foot-4, Higgins would instantly become the Patriots No. 1 receiver. Although Higgins isn’t available to sign, those around the NFL wonder if Higgins could be traded.
Last year, Duke Tobin, the Bengals director of player personnel, called Higgins trade rumors ridiculous. This year, however, Tobin wouldn’t go that far when asked if he had a message when it came to Higgins trade rumors.
“The message is we really like Tee and we’re a better team with Tee,” Tobin said. “In terms of our intentions going forward and answering hypotheticals of what could and couldn’t come about, I won’t get into that, but we feel like we’re a better team with him. The reason we franchised him is because we would like to have him. He’s not under contract and it’s hard for me to predict all the different scenarios that could happen, but we feel strongly about Tee Higgins and his fit with us.”
BRANDON AIYUK
Another way the Patriots could weaponize their offense is to trade for San Francisco’s Brandon Aiyuk. The 25-year-old earned second-team All-Pro honors last season. He caught 75 passes for 1,342 yards with seven touchdowns.
Aiyuk is about to be in the final year of his contract. Would the 49ers trade him? According to the NFL Network, there are a lot of teams who would love to trade for Aiyuk, but the 49ers are expected to work on a new contract for Aiyuk.
At the combine, 49ers General Manager John Lynch reiterated the team’s hope to keep Aiyuk long-term.
“We have a lot of good players, a lot of good players who we’ve rewarded. Brandon’s one that we think incredibly highly of, one of my favorite just guys around our building, the way he approaches the game,” Lynch said. “He’s a competitor. He’s a warrior. He plays with such a physicality, also with a grace, the way some of the positions his body can get into. And then he’s got a flare for making plays when it matters most. And he served us very well as a franchise.
“And I think we’ve got a nice track record of extending the players that are important to us and Brandon’s a guy we want to keep around for a long time.”
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