Veteran wide receiver Mike Williams seemed like a fit for the Patriots, especially given New England’s glaring need for help at the position.
But the Patriots don’t seem interested in trying to sign the productive, yet injury-prone Williams — New England did add K.J. Osborn over the weekend. Instead, a couple of Patriots rivals are after Williams’ services.
CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reported Monday night that Williams is scheduled to meet “at length” with the New York Jets on Tuesday and he has another meeting on the books with the Pittsburgh Steelers for Thursday. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday that Williams also plans to visit the Carolina Panthers and that the Chargers have interest in bringing him back to Los Angeles.
Williams turned in two 1,000-yard receiving seasons over his seven-year tenure with the Chargers. The 29-year-old only played in three games this past season as he suffered a torn ACL. He also missed four regular-season games in 2022, but still caught 63 passes for 895 yards and four touchdowns that year.
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The Steelers have been aggressive this offseason, already getting not one, but two new quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Giving them a reliable outside option in Williams to pair with Wilson makes sense.
The Jets being in on Williams isn’t much of a surprise. New York could use another wideout for Aaron Rodgers to throw to next season and take pressure off Garrett Wilson to produce.
So while the Patriots might not be in on Williams, they still could end up seeing him next season, especially if he signs with the Jets.
ESPN Draft Rumor: Patriots ‘Don’t Love Drake Maye’?
After the first week of free agency the New England Patriots have done little to change their offensive identity. The addition of veteran backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett and third-down back Antonio Gibson are surely assets, but it remains to be seen if they will be upgrades over Bailey Zappe and Ezekiel Elliott.
The Pats’ lack of urgency in overhauling the NFL’s second-worst offense from 2023 begs the question: What will they do in the draft?
ESPN draft gurus Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates tackled the decision in this week’s First Draft show.
Sitting at No. 3 overall, rumors about the Patriots are all over the map. Will they trade down with the Minnesota Vikings, who also need a starting quarterback? Will they stay put and select quarterback Drake Maye? Do they like J.J. McCarthy as much as Maye? Or do they like receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. even more than the two quarterbacks?
“This is a tough one,” Kiper says of New England’s position. “We’re hearing all this chatter about how the Patriots don’t love Drake Maye. About how he missed receivers and wasn’t accurate in a handful of games. They need a quarterback desperately. But so does Minnesota.”
The Patriots recently traded Mac Jones to the Jaguars. The Vikings, picking two spots behind the Pats at No. 5, lost Kirk Cousins to the Falcons in free agency.
Says Yates, “Whoever their quarterback is – let’s be honest – the weapons around him are at this point very mediocre. The Patriots need to do everything in their power to get a receiver weapon.”
However, despite having their choice of Ohio State’s Harrison Jr. and LSU’s Malik Neighbors, ESPN projects the Pats to stick with Maye. For now.
“In a division that includes Josh Allen (Bills), Aaron Rodgers (Jets) and Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins), you’ve got to have a quarterback,’ says Kiper. “Maybe they like Maye. Maybe they like McCarthy over Maye. But why in the world would you trade out of No. 3?”
In the wake of the first week of free agency, ESPN’s updated Top 10:
1. Chicago Bears – Caleb Williams, QB, USC
2. Washington Commanders – Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
3. New England Patriots – Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
4. Arizona Cardinals – Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
5. Minnesota Vikings – J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
6. New York Giants – Malik Neighbors, WR, LSU
7. Tennessee Titans – Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
8. Atlanta Falcons – Dallas Turner, LB, Alabama
9. Chicago Bears – Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
10. New York Jets – Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State
