NFL rumors: Patriots eyeing a receiver not named DeAndre Hopkins

The Patriots are looking across the AFC for a reliable starting wide receiver, and his name isn’t DeAndre Hopkins or Odell Beckham Jr.

The New England Patriots badly need a top wide receiver, but how much are they willing to spend for one?

With DeAndre Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr. still available, the Patriots have a handful of talented guys to choose from and have already been rumored to sign both of those names.

The other, more difficult to acquire wideout is Denver Broncos’ Jerry Jeudy, who popped up on the league’s radar as a trade chip in recent weeks. Per reports, the Broncos are asking for a whopping first-round pick or a second-round pick paired with a player for Jeudy, a price deemed too high by many suitors.

Will the Pats give up a first-round pick? Given Bill Belichick’s history, probably not.

That second-round pick, though….

Patriots are keeping all options open and have bookmarked WR Jerry Jeudy

Jeudy has so far garnered interest from the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys; after getting Brandin Cooks, the Cowboys will likely bow out of the race.

Down to the Browns and the Patriots, Cleveland appears to be the more eager team to strike a deal. Since a trade has not yet occurred, it’s safe to say both the Pats and the Browns consider Denver’s asking price to be a tad too high.

The Broncos may never live down the Russell Wilson trade, and they’re going to want to make sure they don’t get fleeced another time around. Chances are, Denver won’t be the one to back down, and in that case, no team will be willing to bite.

From Jeudy’s perspective, his situation with the Broncos isn’t really all that bad, and the 2020 first-rounder has at least one reason to run it back next year. Is Wilson sometimes insufferable? Sure. But Jeudy gets a cool-headed and proven leader in Sean Payton and should be able to build off of last year’s success (individual success, that is).

In 2022, Jeudy recorded a career-high 972 yards and has the potential to post his first 1,000-yard receiving season in his fourth year in the league in 2023. It’s a close call, but we think he’ll get a better shot at doing so with Russ rather than Mac Jones.