The New England Patriots didn't win the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes.
The free agent wide receiver chose the Tennessee Titans, who offered him a two-year contract that could be worth as much as $32 million. The Patriots' offer reportedly didn't match up, especially in regards to base salary.
Hopkins would have been a great fit in New England. Even at age 31, Hopkins remains a very productive player. He tallied 64 receptions for 717 yards and three touchdowns in just nine games for the Arizona Cardinals last season.
The Hopkins drama is over, but the Patriots could still add another wide receiver, especially if JuJu Smith-Schuster and/or Tyquan Thornton are dealing with injuries when training camp starts next week. The Patriots have the ninth-most salary cap space in the league at $17,742,542, per OverTheCap, which is a pretty good amount of room.
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Now that Hopkins is off the market, which wide receivers could the Patriots target? Here's a list of the best available free agent wideouts.
Kenny Golladay
Age: 29
2022 stats: Six receptions, 81 yards, one touchdown in 12 games
Golladay signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the Giants in free agency before the 2021 season and he lasted only two years in New York. He caught only one touchdown as a Giants player, and it was in his final game -- Week 17 versus the Eagles last season.
For some reason, it just didn't work out with the Giants, but Golladay isn't a bad player. He was productive in Detroit for the first four seasons of his career, including two 1,000-yard seasons with the Lions in 2018 and 2019. He also has great size at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds.
A low-cost, one-year deal for Golladay isn't the worst idea for the Patriots or another wideout-needy team. He should be plenty motivated to get his career back on track.
Julio Jones
Age: 34
2022 stats: 24 receptions, 299 yards, two touchdowns in 10 games
Jones is nowhere near the All-Pro caliber wideout he was for much of his career, but he's still a decent veteran with loads of experience. The future Hall of Famer joined Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season, and the results weren't great. He set career lows in receptions and receiving yards in a single season. Injuries also are a concern with Jones. He's played just 10 games in each of the last two years. If healthy, Jones could still be a threat on the outside, but that would be a fairly big gamble at this stage of his career.
Byron Pringle
Age: 29
2022 stats: 10 receptions, 135 yards, two touchdowns in 11 games
Pringle spent the first three years of his career with the Chiefs before signing with the Bears as a free agent before the 2022 campaign. He did not make much of an impact in Chicago, although to be fair, the Bears offense was a bit of a mess at times and ranked dead last in passing yards per game. Pringle also missed six games with a calf injury in 2022. The 29-year-old veteran is a talented enough pass-catcher to take a chance on, and his run-blocking ability is very good as well. Teams could do worse than Pringle at the WR3 or WR4 position.
Jarvis Landry
Age: 30
2022 stats: 25 receptions, 272 yards, one touchdown in nine games
Landry signed with the New Orleans Saints -- his hometown team -- last year and it didn't go well. He tallied career lows in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. An ankle injury ended his 2022 season after Week 15. Landry caught seven passes for 114 yards in a Week 1 win for the Saints, but injuries bothered him throughout the year and took away a lot of his explosiveness and agility.
He can still be a solid possession wide receiver in the right role. Landry averaged 86 receptions per year over his first eight pro seasons. If healthy, he's absolutely worth a one-year, prove-it-to-me kind of contract.
Sammy Watkins
Age: 30
2022 stats: 16 receptions, 325 yards, zero touchdowns in 12 games (nine with Packers, three with Ravens)
Injuries have always been a problem for Watkins. The only time he played a full season was his 2014 rookie campaign. He has missed at least three games in each of the last five seasons. But when healthy, Watkins can still make a difference, especially as a deep threat. He also has lots of playoff experience, including two Super Bowl appearances (one win with the Chiefs in 2019).
