On Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that former Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp has agreed to terms with the Seahawks on a three-year, $45 million contract.
Not only does this news mean the 31-year-old will be calling somewhere other than Los Angeles home for the first time in his NFL career, it also means Kupp’s new football home will not be in the greater Foxborough region.
As recently as Thursday, MassLive’s Karen Guregian reported that the Patriots were among the suitors for Kupp’s services in 2025, but with the caveat that the team was not willing to overpay for the former Super Bowl MVP.
“The Patriots have the money and the cap space,” wrote Guregian. “They have the need for upgrades in the receiver room. But they might not be willing to overpay for a player who’s past his prime.”
Guregian went on to say that a source at the NFL Scouting Combine told MassLive that part of the reason the Patriots did not want to trade for Kupp earlier this offseason was an unwillingness to take on the money he was owed under his previous deal with Los Angeles - $12.5 million along with a $7.5 million roster bonus due on March 16.
When you see the number he reportedly signed at on Friday, and you take into account what Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel told the media during a press conference at Gillette Stadium on Thursday on top of Guregian’s reporting, it comes as no surprise that Kupp will be playing elsewhere in 2025.
“There's still quite a bit of time before we get to the draft, but there's also - we don't want to just be careless,” said Vrabel when asked about possibly having to draft for need with multiple obvious holes still remaining on the offense.
“We want our players to play aggressive, we don't want them to play reckless. So we don't want to be reckless through this process. We want to be very intentional with the people that we bring on this football team, and we'll continue to target all those needs that we feel like and the players that can help us.”
With Kupp off the board for New England, here’s a list of the top remaining free agent wide receivers available for the Patriots to sign:
- Nelson Agholor, Baltimore Ravens (31 years old)
- Keenan Allen, Chicago Bears (32 years old)
- Odell Beckham, Miami Dolphins (32 years old)
- Tyler Boyd, Tennessee Titans (30 years old)
- DeAndre Carter, Chicago Bears (31 years old)
- D.J. Chark, Los Angeles Chargers (28 years old)
- Chris Conley, San Francisco 49ers (32 years old)
- Brandin Cooks, Dallas Cowboys (31 years old)
- Amari Cooper, Buffalo Bills (30 years old)
- Jamison Crowder, Washington Commanders (31 years old)
- Stefon Diggs, Houston Texans (31 years old)
- Devin Duvernay, Jacksonville Jaguars (27 years old)
- Michael Gallup, Las Vegas Raiders (29 years old)
- Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs (27 years old)
- Lil'Jordan Humphrey, Denver Broncos (26 years old)
- Diontae Johnson, Baltimore Ravens (28 years old)
- Tyler Johnson, Los Angeles Rams (26 years old)
- Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks (32 years old)
- Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns (24 years old)
- Rondale Moore, Atlanta Falcons (24 years old)
- Gunner Olszewski, New York Giants (28 years old)
- Zach Pascal, Arizona Cardinals (30 years old)
- Tim Patrick, Detroit Lions (31 years old)
- Brandon Powell, Minnesota Vikings (29 years old)
- Josh Reynolds, Jacksonville Jaguars (30 years old)
- Allen Robinson, Detroit Lions (31 years old)
- Sterling Shepard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (32 years old)
- Steven Sims, Baltimore Ravens (27 years old)
- JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kansas City Chiefs (28 years old)
- Robert Woods, Houston Texans (32 years old)
Outside of a few “name” guys, it’s not a very impressive list. A lot of guys past their prime, and a lot of guys who have surely been available on your fantasy football waiver wire in recent years.
And worst of all for Patriots fans - that list is shrinking every single day.
Stay locked in to WEEI and WEEI.com for all the latest on the Patriots’ offseason.