After a day spent primarily bolstering their defense, the Patriots have made their third signing on the offensive side of the football.
On Monday evening, Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reported that former Bills wide receiver Mack Hollins has signed with New England for two years at $8.4 million, which could max out at $10.4 million.
The 31-year-old reunites with Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who served as Hollins’ head coach in Las Vegas in 2022.
In his seven-year career, Hollins has suited up for five teams, winning a Super Bowl in his rookie season against the Patriots:
- Philadelphia Eagles (2017-19)
- Miami Dolphins (2019-21)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2022)
- Atlanta Falcons (2023)
- Buffalo Bills (2024)
Make no mistake about it, Hollins is not a game changer in the traditional sense.
In 112 regular season games, Hollins has 162 catches for 2,069 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns.
In 17 regular season games for Buffalo last season, Hollins hauled in 31 balls for 378 receiving yards and a career-high 5 touchdowns while working with league MVP Josh Allen.
But if you watched the Bills at all in 2024, you know that Hollins’ impact can be felt outside of the stat sheet, as the UNC-product was not afraid to mix things up with the competition, often times after the whistle.
Hollins is in the mold of a tone-setting role player, which isn’t necessarily a need for the Patriots this offseason in their receivers room. With that said, head coach Mike Vrabel did say in his introductory press conference that he wanted to “build a bully.” Hollins does help aid that effort.
But the needs at receiver remain as the “legal tampering” window continues through the official beginning of NFL free agency at 4:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
Stay locked in to WEEI and WEEI.com for all the latest on the Patriots’ offseason.