The New England Patriots might not be pursuing Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, but according to the Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard, they are still very much in the hunt for landing either DeAndre Hopkins or Jerry Jeudy as their new No, 1 receiver.
JuJu Smith-Schuster was signed to a three-year, $33 million deal as basically the Jakobi Meyers replacement, but the Patriots are clearly a team that still needs an elite playmaker on the outside.
Hopkins or Jeudy could both fill that void, assuming the Patriots can reach a trade agreement with the Arizona Cardinals or Denver Broncos.
Per NESN’s Dakota Randall, Bedard wrote:
The Patriots are actively trying to add more weapons around Jones, a team source said. The path they’ve settled on, at this time, is to build up the talent around Jones, similar to what the Eagles and Dolphins did with their young QBs on rookie contracts. Kraft is involved in that effort and is fully behind that direction.
The Patriots are still involved in talks around receivers Jerry Jeudy (Broncos) and DeAndre Hopkins (Cardinals). Those could heat up closer to the draft, and some talented players could become available once the draft concludes.
Jeudy initially seemed to be off the table after Broncos coach Sean Payton claimed he would not be traded, when speaking with media members at the NFL annual meeting.
But things change quickly in the NFL, and the Broncos might be saving face until they get the deal they want, which has been reported to be either a first-round draft pick or a high second-round pick and a player. Meanwhile, the Cardinals reportedly want a trade package for Hopkins that’s similar to what the Carolina Panthers got for running back Christian McCaffrey.
Of course, those prices could come down as the teams get closer to the draft.
If the Patriots are all in on Mac Jones at quarterback, then they’re going to need to get him help at receiver to compete with some of the other elite teams in the league, especially in a much-improved AFC East division. The Patriots might have to pay top-dollar for positions they haven’t prioritized in the past.
