The New England Patriots will enter the offseason with the fourth-most projected cap space. Coming off a disappointing season, one that saw the offense collapse without Tom Brady, Bill Belichick must address numerous needs on his roster. Among them, quarterback, wide receiver, tight end, and defensive line jump out as areas to address. However, the Patriots are predicted by one writer to sign an elite wide receiver.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell predicted that Godwin will sign a four-year, $78 million deal with the Patriots this offseason. Due to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers having many free agents, along with their desire to have Antonio Brown back, they may let the 24-year-old star leave in free agency.
Godwin caught 65 receptions for 840 yards and seven touchdowns in the regular season. He has also played an integral role in the team reaching Super Bowl LV. While Godwin’s stats aren’t elite, they were arguably weighed down thanks to injuries and Tom Brady has spreading the ball around to Mike Evans, Antonio Brown, Rob Gronkowski and Cameron Brate.
Let’s dive into the latest Patriots rumors and how they could impact New England in 2021.
Patriots Rumors: What would signing Chris Godwin mean for the New England Patriots?
If the Patriots signed Chris Godwin, it would be a huge move as they have a depleted wide receiver corps due to poor drafting and players not working out. Whether Cam Newton returns or not, Godwin can be a number one wide receiver on a team and one on a Super Bowl team.
If they don’t address the position outside of Godwin, they would still significantly improve their passing attack. Godwin and Jakobi Meyers can be a lethal duo at receiver if they have a quarterback who can efficiently throw the ball. Julian Edelman could be used primarily in the slot as the third wide receiver. Signing Godwin would also take some pressure off N’Keal Harry, who has struggled in his two seasons with the Patriots. He began to show improvement toward the end of the 2020 season, but if he can come into the game and play the deep ball, it would stretch the field out for the team.
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They have enough money to sign Godwin and should focus on improving the wide receiver position, whether it’s Godwin or others such as Allen Robinson, Marvin Jones Jr., or Kenny Golladay.
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Patriots rumors: New England is expected to be uncharacteristically aggressive
Due to their massive amount of cap space, Bill Belichick is expected to take an aggressive approach to this offseason as he looks to find his way back to the playoffs. Patriots rumors have suggested that he may not act in this manner toward the quarterback position, though.
NBC Sports’ Tom Curran expects the Patriots to go after an average quarterback such as Jacoby Brissett, Marcus Mariota, or Ryan Fitzpatrick and allocate money toward other needed positions. This could be a good idea if they are able to give their quarterback weapons and be able to replenish the defensive line and linebacker core.
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Belichick has always loved free-agent tight end Hunter Henry and could look to sign him so the second-year tight ends on the roster can be less pressured to produce. He could also look at Jonnu Smith as he is a dynamic tight end and should be a hot commodity.
Patriots rumors will most likely be a lot of quarterback talk, but the prospect of signing weapons may be more important than the quarterback position itself.
The last time Belichick had a surplus amount of cap space, he ended up signing reigning Defensive Player of the Year cornerback Stephon Gilmore. If that tells us anything about the New England Patriots’ approach this offseason, they could be coming back for the AFC throne sooner than we expect.
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