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(PHOTO: Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports) To this point, the Patriots have made moves to clear out their receiver room and start working toward revamping their offense, and it appears there’s potentially one player who they’re hoping to get a deal done with.
Several reports on Tuesday linked New England to Jaguars free agent Calvin Ridley, with the Patriots and Jaguars as the final two teams in contention for his services.
According to Adam Schefter, the Patriots have made a significant push to land Ridley, but so far it sounds like the veteran would prefer to stay with the Jaguars. Albert Breer reported last night that it’s reaching a point where New England is even “a bit leery of being used” when it comes to driving up Ridley’s price tag, but so far, they remain in the running.
As it currently stands, the Patriots have already brought back two productive players, wideout Kendrick Bourne and tight end Hunter Henry. The club also added Raiders free agent tight end Austin Hooper on Tuesday night.
There appears to be a wrinkle with Ridley that may have been what was holding things up heading into last night. Alex Barth of 98.5 The Sports Hub pointed out on Tuesday that “If the Jaguars sign him to an *extension* they owe the Falcons a 2nd round pick as part of that trade agreement. If they wait for the new league year and sign him as a ‘free agent’ that pick becomes a 3rd.” As a result, it will be interesting to follow the timeline on this as the negotiations ultimately play out.
Meanwhile, if the Patriots were to add Ridley, it would certainly give them a boost. Adding Ridley along with Bourne and Demario Douglas would give the Patriots a trio of solid receivers, giving them a pretty good foundation. Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte, and recently re-signed Jalen Reagor currently round out the bottom of the current depth chart ahead of the draft and whoever else they might add.
Several reports seem to indicate that the club will potentially move on from JuJu Smith-Schuster, whether it’s via a trade or if they simply opt to bite the bullet and just move on. But the rumors so far seem to infer that he’s not part of their plans in 2024.
For now, we’ll have to wait and see how things continue to play out as the league year officially begins this afternoon at 4pm ET.
(Editor’s Note: The above appeared in a recent daily Patriots notebook column.)
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