The Official 2025 New England Patriots Thread | Page 2 | The Boneyard
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The Official 2025 New England Patriots Thread

Waquoit said:
They signed WR Mack Hollins. that's it.
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Diggs is in Foxborough today. Or was yesterday.

I really think offensive skill position players aren't the main problem with this team. If they draft Travis Hunter and a RB in round 4, they have more than enough. I'd like to land a younger TE too. Mike Mayer with the Raiders is interesting but they must be asking way too much.
 
Stefon Diggs’ flirtation with the Patriots is officially done as of Friday morning, leaving New England’s offense in the lurch. Talks stalled over money—Diggs wanted $25 million a year, per ESPN, while the Pats balked at topping $20M—and now the All-Pro wideout’s back on the market. After 1,183 yards and 8 scores with Buffalo in 2024, he’s the prize of a thinning free agency pool.
 
Deepster said:
Stefon Diggs’ flirtation with the Patriots is officially done as of Friday morning, leaving New England’s offense in the lurch. Talks stalled over money—Diggs wanted $25 million a year, per ESPN, while the Pats balked at topping $20M—and now the All-Pro wideout’s back on the market. After 1,183 yards and 8 scores with Buffalo in 2024, he’s the prize of a thinning free agency pool.
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Wow. $20m a year is a massive overpay for a guy coming off an ACL. He’s not that player anymore. Nobody is paying him $25 a year
 
HuskyHawk said:
Wow. $20m a year is a massive overpay for a guy coming off an ACL. He’s not that player anymore. Nobody is paying him $25 a year
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When it's 3rd and 8, who else are you going to? You're the one bragging about the money to burn and the cap space....
 
Deepster said:
When it's 3rd and 8, who else are you going to? You're the one bragging about the money to burn and the cap space....
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Not sure who you’re quoting in that report. I’m not seeing it anywhere. I don’t believe it at all. He signed for $22m with Houston when healthy. His market is $15-17. I think the issues are medical.
 
The Pats are in a cycle of not wanting to pay the market rate for the top talent so they overpay for Plan B guys then hope something drops in their lap. The healthy franchises are proactive, have a plan. Counting on Maye to be Tom Brady because McDanial's is back isn't a plan.
 
Honest question. With the FA market pretty much dried up, other than Mayes development what area are the Pats better at to the point it translates to wins?
 
Deepster said:
Honest question. With the FA market pretty much dried up, other than Mayes development what area are the Pats better at to the point it translates to wins?
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Much better at RT, better at Center, better at LG. Much better at DT, Edge and ILB. Better at free safety. Strong safety was already a strength. The CB2 is vastly improved, CB1 is already a pro bowl level corner. WR should be a little better just from improvement of young players.

At one point the Pats were starting three OL plucked off of other teams’s practice squads. For all the crap we give Lowe at LT, he was the 2nd best OL on the team until Strange returned from injury (one game). After Bentley went down our best Linebacker was Eliss, another practice squad guy. Now we get Bentley back, 15 pounds lighter to add quickness and several legit NFL linebackers. The defense is massively upgraded.
 
Deepster said:

Diggs to the Pats. 3 year deal, 69m with 26m guaranteed. A little bigger and longer than I would have thought but they finally got a guy with seasoned skills on offense.
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Agree it’s a bit of an overpay for an older guy coming off an ACL but he seems recovered. What I see mostly is flexibility in the draft. With Wilson to the Giants today, they may not land Hunter. So this lets them target a LT or trade back for LT with a 2nd or 3rd round WR like Jaylin Noel. LT is now the only glaring hole on the roster.
 
The details are not on Spotrac yet, but it looks like they literally met in the middle. The Patriots were offering $20, he wanted $25, and signed for $22.52 AAV. The Patriots certainly have the room to pay it, and Maye now has his 2nd option on 3rd and 8 to take the pressure off Hunter Henry. Diggs will also allow the young receivers to develop more at their own pace.

I think it's a tremendous signing.
 
Husky25 said:
The details are not on Spotrac yet, but it looks like they literally met in the middle. The Patriots were offering $20, he wanted $25, and signed for $22.52 AAV. The Patriots certainly have the room to pay it, and Maye now has his 2nd option on 3rd and 8 to take the pressure off Hunter Henry. Diggs will also allow the young receivers to develop more at their own pace.

I think it's a tremendous signing.
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It won't be tremendous until he proves he's worth that money on a repaired knee at his age....but it has the potential of being one.
 
Deepster said:
It won't be tremendous until he proves he's worth that money on a repaired knee at his age....but it has the potential of being one.
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I saw a report this morning that Edelman tore his ACL at age 32 and came back to have his most productive years.

Jerry Rice tore his ACL at 35 in 1997. He came back and played less than 4 months later and then played 7 more seasons, catching for over 6,000 yards.

No two players are alike, obviously, but receivers, by and large, experience less year-to-year wear & tear than other positions and medical technology is lightyears ahead from 30 years ago. Cutting is the big thing, but Diggs is said to be ahead of schedule and should be ready for Week 1. Ideally he would go through camp with Maye and build chemistry, but he is an asset in the WR room regardless.

I really don't care about the money. It didn't cost the Patriots any picks or players. They have the cap room, less than half of it is guaranteed, and it's done before they have to pick up Maye's option or extend him. This is not the Giants resetting the market on a subpar QB, just because he happened to play in a road playoff game that the Giants happened to win, followed almost immediately by restructuring the contract. Diggs has a better track record.

Overall, it's low risk high reward, by comparison.
 
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HuskyHawk said:
Agree it’s a bit of an overpay...
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It isn't, it's a market pay. Good to see the Pats finally take a shot. The easiest thing is to do nothing like the Sox have been doing until this year.
 
Waquoit said:
It isn't, it's a market pay. Good to see the Pats finally take a shot. The easiest thing is to do nothing like the Sox have been doing until this year.
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I like the signing. They needed a quality outside target and got one. I think it's a bit above market considering age and injury, but that's the reality for the Patriots right now. They aren't a popular destination right now. I vastly prefer this to giving up draft picks.
 
HuskyHawk said:
I like the signing. They needed a quality outside target and got one. I think it's a bit above market considering age and injury, but that's the reality for the Patriots right now. They aren't a popular destination right now. I vastly prefer this to giving up draft picks.
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The thing I'll be interested in, is at this point in his career, does he still stamp his feet when he only gets 1 target in a half? You'd like to think he realizes the situation he's stepping into and how he can help a young QB. When he got to Buffalo, he really bonded with Allen early...but then became a malcontent. I think he CAN have a positive impact on this team if his head is right.
 
Interesting maneuver.

I think this can be good for both sides. The Patriots have the cap room now, so if they front load the deal, Jalen Hurts style, the contract will have a lower cap hit in the out years, leading to greater flexibility if things work out. If not, Diggs walks, and the franchise moves on to next year's plan A, B, C, etc.

 
Deepster said:
The thing I'll be interested in, is at this point in his career, does he still stamp his feet when he only gets 1 target in a half? You'd like to think he realizes the situation he's stepping into and how he can help a young QB. When he got to Buffalo, he really bonded with Allen early...but then became a malcontent. I think he CAN have a positive impact on this team if his head is right.
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I think the post below yours explains it. I agree. I do think he will see plenty of targets next year anyway. Eventually, young guys may take more of those. If he's not being a good soldier, or if one of the draft picks thrives with new coaching, they can move on.
 
Very interesting Draft coming up. It doesn't look like Sanders is going at 2 or 3. Will the Giants go with Carter or Graham? If Carter is there, the #4 pick is easy. If not, maybe a trade back if possible, but will anyone move up for Sanders? Maybe. If they stick and pick, I think it's Campbell. Arm length thing seems overblown. He should solve the one glaring hole left on the roster.
 
HuskyHawk said:
Very interesting Draft coming up. It doesn't look like Sanders is going at 2 or 3. Will the Giants go with Carter or Graham? If Carter is there, the #4 pick is easy. If not, maybe a trade back if possible, but will anyone move up for Sanders? Maybe. If they stick and pick, I think it's Campbell. Arm length thing seems overblown. He should solve the one glaring hole left on the roster.
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Provided he is available, if the Giants don't take Carter, Joe should be "Schoen (pronounced "Shane," but I always read it as "Shown")" the door.

With regard to the Patriots, There is no consensus, but the WEEI crew seem to lean toward Campbell, Jeanty, or Membou, and I'd throw Mason Graham in that mix.

Campbell is the safe, if not sexy, pick and a four win team has no business reaching to make a splash. Campbell would be a day 1 starter and if his arm length is truly an issue, he'll get bumped inside next season. He is a road grader in the run game, which is ideal for a guard and being able to double a DT will disguise any arm length issue. OTOH, it's not like he is a T-Rex out there. His arm length is less than 1/2" of what teams typically accept. He is a 3x All-Conference LT in the SEC and was a 1st team All American last season. Maye is not Jayden Daniels, but he can scramble, move the pocket, and is elusive. The will also help compensate for any perceived arm length issue.

There was talk yesterday on WEEI was that Jeanty is BPA after Carter and Hunter, but heads should roll if he is the pick. Particularly if the Giants pass on Carter. I'm not saying that Jeanty as a player is not worth a high pick, but similar to the Giants choosing Barkley, a four win team wastes a high pick on a plug and play running back, when there are so many other glaring holes to fill. Besides, the Patriots need someone to open running lanes, which I wouldn't trust Jeanty to do on his own.

Compared to Campbell, Membou is bigger, longer armed, and has slightly faster straight ahead speed. He didn't play much Left Tackle and was only a 1x All Conference player in three seasons in the SEC. He might also be better suited at guard.

Mason Graham is the best DL in the draft, but I think LT is a bigger need if Carter is not available in a DT heavy draft.
 
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Husky25 said:
Provided he is available, if the Giants don't take Carter, Joe should be "Schoen (pronounced "Shane," but I always read it as "Shown")" the door.

With regard to the Patriots, There is no consensus, but the WEEI crew seem to lean toward Campbell, Jeanty, or Membou, and I'd throw Mason Graham in that mix.

Campbell is the safe, if not sexy, pick and a four win team has no business reaching to make a splash. Campbell would be a day 1 starter and if his arm length is truly an issue, he'll get bumped inside next season. He is a road grader in the run game, which is ideal for a guard and being able to double a DT will disguise any arm length issue. OTOH, it's not like he is a T-Rex out there. His arm length is less than 1/2" of what teams typically accept. He is a 3x All-Conference LT in the SEC and was a 1st team All American last season. Maye is not Jayden Daniels, but he can scramble, move the pocket, and is elusive. The will also help compensate for any perceived arm length issue.

There was talk yesterday on WEEI was that Jeanty is BPA after Carter and Hunter, but heads should roll if he is the pick. Particularly if the Giants pass on Carter. I'm not saying that Jeanty as a player is not worth a high pick, but similar to the Giants choosing Barkley, a four win team wastes a high pick on a plug and play running back, when there are so many other glaring holes to fill. Besides, the Patriots need someone to open running lanes, which I wouldn't trust Jeanty to do on his own.

Compared to Campbell, Membou is bigger, longer armed, and has slightly faster straight ahead speed. He didn't play much Left Tackle and was only a 1x All Conference player in three seasons in the SEC. He might also be better suited at guard.

Mason Graham is the best DL in the draft, but I think LT is a bigger need if Carter is not available in a DT heavy draft.
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Overwhelming consensus is it's Campbell. I don't think the WEEI guys know much, but everyone agrees. Vrabel loves the guy because he's absolutely going to be a Captain in two years and will set the culture. I think the arm thing is overblown. He's 1/8" shorter arms than Membou, but is much taller. Membou won't be the pick (Jets maybe).

Agree Jeanty is BPA, but it just wouldn't make sense. The real risk for the Patriots is that there's another run on OTs like last year, with several going in round 1 that were projected in round 2. If you knew you could get Conerly from Oregon, then maybe you'd do something different at #4. But there's a real risk that anybody who could start over Lowe will be gone by the mid 20s.

There is a project LT from Wiliam and Mary they should absolutely draft later. He could be the best LT in this draft. Needs time and if Campbell eventually moves inside, he could be ready by then. Charles Grant Draft and Combine Prospect Profile | NFL.com

After round1, I would rather see DT/Edge than WR unlike most fans. I think TE is a need and so is a backup RB. I would not waste a higher than 5th round pick on IOL. They have several, those guys rarely start as rookies, you have to give them time. It's a developmental position. Robinson is super strong and a ++ run blocker, just needs technique in pass pro and better people next to him.
 
Patriots had a fantastic draft. Picked up multiple players who should have been drafted much sooner. The biggest steal was Swinson in round 5. He had a 2nd round grade from most. Farmer in round 4 was a great pick as well. Wilson in round 3 was another guy viewed as an early 2nd round pick. Kyle Williams was a great pick in round 3, Chris Simms (who I don't really trust on QBs) had him as his WR2 in the whole draft. Incredible separation and speed. Henderson may have gone earlier than expected, but is a game breaking running back. Got the best kicker in the draft too.

Overall, quite a haul. Even some of the UDFA look promising. Especially the TE from Bama and the RB from UC Davis. Incredible one year roster turnover.
 

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