The New England Patriots are hoping they get stellar play from the combination of Stefon Diggs and Drake Maye. But one NFL insider doesn’t think it will happen. However, the Patriots could still make a trade. And here is the Patriots’ perfect trade offer for the San Francisco 49ers’ wide receiver Jauan Jennings.
The four-year veteran is coming off a career season with 77 catches for 975 yards and six touchdowns. He is scheduled to make $7.5 million in the final year of his deal. But Jennings wants a new contract or a trade, according to espn.com.
“It marks the second straight summer the 49ers are in this situation with a receiver who wants to be paid or traded,” Adam Schefter wrote. “And this year’s situation is indirectly tied to last year’s scenario with Brandon Aiyuk.”
49ers WR Jauan Jennings may be underrated
Jennings’ value goes beyond catching the football.
“Coach Kyle Shanahan considers Jennings to be one of the best blocking wideouts in the league,” Schefter wrote.
So, it would make sense that a team like the Patriots would be interested in Jennings. Currently, the Patriots have one of the lesser wide receiver rooms in the NFL. Diggs is slotted at WR1, followed by DeMario Douglas and Mack Hollins.
Douglas is a third-year player who caught 66 passes for 621 yards and three scores last season. Modest numbers for a No. wideout. As for Hollins, he has been in the league for seven seasons. His career highs came in 2022 with 57 catches for 690 yards and four scores while with the Las Vegas Raiders. That’s not eye-opening, either, and Hollins has played for six NFL teams: Patriots, Eagles, Dolphins, Bills, Raiders, and Falcons.
The Patriots also have rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams. He could emerge this year, but it’s hard to imagine him becoming a standout as a rookie in an offense that may struggle to consistently move the football.
Williams, a third-round pick, said he plans to catch everything, according to audacy.com via nfl.com.
“My mindset is don’t drop the money,” Williams said. “Every time the ball is there, that’s a bag of money, we can’t let that hit the floor because (then) that’s somebody else’s. So, just being able to make those plays, showing I can compete against those top-tier guys in the league.”
What kind of trade would Patriots need to offer to 49ers?
So what would the Patriots have to give up? First, the 49ers aren’t overly deep at the receiver position. And Jennings is slotted in as their No. 2 guy. So the Patriots would likely have to send back a receiver. And Hollins is the only receiver with size (6-foot-4, 221 pounds) who could replace Jennings.
It doesn’t make sense that the 49ers would want the journeyman Hollins, unless they got their socks knocked off with a draft pick. So, for this deal to work, the Patriots would have to send Hollins and a second-round pick.
It’s hard to imagine the Patriots would give up that valuable of a pick to get a receiver who isn’t elite. So as you can see, this trade probably isn’t going to happen. But the perfect offer would have to be a big one.
Sure, the Patriots need help on offense. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is trying to work magic with the unit. But it’s a work in progress, according to patriots.com.
“We’re putting plays in … that I don’t have much experience doing, but I know that they’re good for our team,” McDaniels said. “These guys have a lot of experience doing those things where they’ve been. We’re a first-year staff together. And we’re all just grinding away, trying to make sure that we’re ready each day. They’ve done a tremendous job with their position groups. And I really enjoy the process.
“When you take a lot of people from different backgrounds, they have such good experience and wisdom. It makes a lot of sense for me to learn from them. That stuff is going to be used to help our team produce more points, more yards, more first downs, and hopefully good plays.”
What could Jennings add to Patriots’ young offense?
Of course, McDaniels does have a good young quarterback with whom to work.
“He’s very smart and works really hard,” McDaniels said. “The quarterback room, in general, is really, really good in terms of putting the time and effort in at this point of the year. (Maye) is doing a really good job of digesting information, processing the corrections when there is a correction to be made, and going out there with a great attitude
“He does a really good job of listening. When you go out there the next time and see the same kind of look or the same problem the defense presents to you, he’s a quick study on that, and that’s a good thing for a young player.”
The odd thing is Jennings would fit nicely with the Patriots. But the problem is, he fits nicely with the 49ers. Such is often the case in the National Football League.
