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Patriots have reportedly targeted Robby Anderson in a trade
The Patriots are more likely to address their receiver need by acquiring a veteran than drafting a rookie, according to a report.
Wide receiver is one of the Patriots’ biggest needs this offseason, and while the NFL Draft Scouting Combine is taking place, it appears they’re looking to address that – but not through the draft.
The Patriots are “much more likely” to get an impact receiver via trade rather than drafting one, Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard reported Saturday. One of the veteran receivers they’ve targeted so far is the Panthers’ Robby Anderson. The Athletic’s Joe Person confirmed the report, adding that the “Panthers more than willing to listen on Anderson calls after his drop in production after they extended him last year.”
Bedard wrote that it isn’t known which other receivers the Patriots could be targeting in a trade, but if they do get Anderson, it would be to replace Nelson Agholor, who Bedard speculated could join Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas.
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If the Patriots end up trading for Anderson, they would be buying low on him. He had 53 receptions for a career-low 519 yards and five touchdowns last season. Anderson, who turns 29 in May, signed a two-year, $29.5 million extension last August, keeping him under contract through the 2023 season. Anderson would carry a $13 million cap hit in the 2022 season and a $12 million cap hit in the 2023 season if a team trades for him, according to salary cap guru Miguel Benzan.
While the Patriots would be acquiring a relatively pricey receiver coming off arguably the worst season of his career, there could be room for optimism in trading for Anderson. In 2020, Anderson was one of the league’s top pass-catchers, hauling in 95 receptions (10th-most that season) for 1,096 yards and three touchdowns.
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Anderson was also consistently productive with the Jets, who had subpar quarterback play in his four seasons with the team. Following his rookie season, Anderson recorded at least 50 receptions, 750 receiving yards, and five receiving touchdowns in each of his final three seasons with the team.
On the other end, trading Agholor instead of releasing him would be a preferred outcome for the Patriots for multiple reasons. The obvious one is that by trading him, they would likely get some sort of compensation in return. But the difference in dead cap between trading ($5 million) and releasing him ($10 million) is $5 million. Because of that, the Patriots would create $9.8 million in cap space by trading Agholor as opposed to creating $4.8 million in cap space if they were to release him.
Anderson isn’t the only veteran receiver that’s been rumored to be on the trade market this offseason. Atlanta’s Calvin Ridley, Buffalo’s Cole Beasley, and Arizona’s Andy Isabella have all been rumored to get traded this offseason. Star receiver Amari Cooper is reportedly expected to get released by the Cowboys, adding another noteworthy name to the market.
There are also several notable receivers set to become free agents. While stars like Davante Adams and Chris Godwin might be a bit unlikely for the Patriots, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mike Williams, Odell Beckham Jr., Allen Robinson, Christian Kirk, and D.J. Chark could all be had in free agency.
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