The New England Patriots have a lot of work to do with their roster during the 2024 NFL offseason. They are under new leadership with Bill Belichick being fired, so it will be interesting to see how the new front office hierarchy does things.
Offensively is where the Patriots need the most work. The coaching staff has already said they don’t plan on making too many drastic changes defensively, as a solid foundation is already in place. On offense, however, that isn’t the case.
New England doesn’t currently have a starting quarterback after trading Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Whoever ends up being under center for the team will have a new-look pass-catching group as well.
NFL News & Rumors: JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, New England Patriots Updates
The Patriots agreed to a new contract with wide receiver Kendrick Bournce, but there is a chance he is the only veteran player at the position back in 2024. According to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, New England is working hard on to trade JuJu Smith-Schuster and DeVante Parker. If a trade cannot be found, they will both likely be cut.
Smith-Schuster signed a three-year deal with the Patriots in free agency last offseason after helping the Kansas City Chiefs win a Super Bowl in the 2022 campaign. He was expected to become the team’s No. 1 receiver and help take the offense to another level but fell woefully short of those expectations.
In his first, and possibly only season in New England, Smith-Schuster caught 29 passes for 260 yards and one touchdown. He played in only 11 games, as it was by far the least productive season, on a per-game basis, in his career.
NFL News & Rumors: JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, New England Patriots Updates
Parker was acquired by the Patriots from the Miami Dolphins in a trade in 2022. A first-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft out of Louisville, Parker hasn’t quite lived up to expectations throughout his career, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark only once.
In two seasons with the Patriots, Parker has caught 64 passes for 933 yards and three touchdowns in 26 games. It is a bit surprising he lasted even this long in New England given his lack of production and how much the team paid him.
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