If “Wide Receiver Acquisition 101” was a business course, the New England Patriots would be flunking with flying colors. They’ve been botching the basic syllabus for years, mostly due to the biases and belligerent stubbornness of Bill Belichick.
But the Hoodie isn’t around to blame anymore, so we were expecting big things this offseason. At least a new approach, which finally came to fruition when the Pats drafted a pair of promising wideouts, Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, in the second and fourth round, respectively.
Then came the big move. New England whiffed on Calvin Ridley, which wasn’t the end of the word given Ridley’s price/performance parameters. Which leaves us with Brandon Aiyuk and the latest Patriots whiff.
It’s not about the money
New England has become notorious for spending way under the cap for several years now. It was a bragging point for both Belichick and owner Bob Kraft—sorry, as a fellow Bob I refuse to go with Robert—as they discussed their brilliant approach to team building with a club that would land at an epic 4-13.
Supposedly the Pats were willing to pay Aiyuk as a top-five receiver, although history tells us we should take that with more than a grain of salt. That means money wasn’t the problem, so the question becomes what was.
The machinations
Draft capital was doubtless the sticking point for the Patriots. San Francisco has been making some outrageous demands for Aiyuk, and for fledgling Pats GM Eliot Wolf the initial conversations finally stopped when John Lynch went for a pair of #1’s. That’s a steep price for any receiver, especially since Aiyuk may be a 1A rather than a genuine #1 wideout.
Have those conversations gone further? Probably, but it’s hard to tell. Kendrick Bourne has been mentioned as a possible part of a deal, but why would the 49ers want a third receiver coming off an ACL tear?
Matthew Judon has been part of the conversation as well, and he might have slightly more value, but Judon is also 32 and coming off a serious arm injury. If he’s healthy he could help San Francisco’s pass rush, and he would come relatively cheap at $6.5M, but right now he’s strictly an X factor, literally and figuratively.
New England Patriots: Selling hope and peddling
What’s really going on here is that Wolf is selling hope. The 49ers almost certainly still want a #1 pick for Aiyuk, and Wolf simply can’t afford to do that. He had three goals this offseason: (1) get the QB of the future, which is now Drake Maye (2) get a capable left tackle with the chops to handle the job, which still hasn’t happened (3) find a #1 receiver on a cheap (i.e, Pats or rookie) contract, which also hasn’t happened.
The plan going forward for the New England Patriots is about peddling the future. Fans will get to watch Jacoby Brissett run a (hopefully) competent offense and not get killed by his lack of protection, and if that works Drake Maye will step in as the “next man up” sacrificial lamb. It’s going to be an incredibly depressing watch, especially since Vegas is pegging the Pats as the worst team in the league, although Thursday’s preseason opponent, the Panthers, might have a lot to say about that.
So what do we say in response? Suffice to say we don’t even have to use a real word here.
Ugh. Just “ugh.”
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