Bill Belichick refuses to improve his team. The Patriots are sitting out free agency and have barely added any outside pieces. Most troublingly, they’re even missing on the quintessential low-risk, high-reward acquisitions that Belichick historically pounces on.
Look no further than Robert Woods. The Rams traded the talented wideout to the Titans recently for a measly sixth-round pick. Coming off an ACL tear, Woods’ value is at a nadir. The Rams’ signing of Allen Robinson, and Woods’ $3.5 million roster bonus, made him expendable.
The Titans were wise to take advantage. Woods tore his ACL Nov. 13, which means he should be ready for the start of training camp. The Titans might have landed a bonafide No. 2 receiver without surrendering any significant capital. It seems like Titans general manager Jon Robinson, who previously worked for the Patriots in their scouting department, learned from his mentor.
Woods, 29, was a second-round pick by the Bills in 2013. He blossomed when he arrived in Los Angeles, averaging 81 catches, 1,018 yards and five touchdowns per season from 2017-20 (Woods caught 45 passes for 556 yards in nine games last year).
Over his career, Woods has 7,077 receiving yards and 35 touchdowns on 570 receptions.
In addition to being a good player, Woods has a reasonable contract. While he holds a $13.5 million salary-cap hit in 2022, there’s no dead money in the remaining years of his deal. He inked a four-year contract with the Rams in 2020.
It wouldn’t take much financial maneuvering for the Patriots to create enough cap space to take on Woods. They could restructure Matthew Judon’s deal and guarantee more of his base salary, freeing up about $6.6 million and spreading the cap hits beyond 2022. They could also restructure Hunter Henry and save almost $4 million.
That would give them about $22 million in cap room. They have $11.695 million right now.
Last week, NFL Media’s Mike Giardi reported the Patriots were telling free agents to circle back if their markets don’t materialize. It doesn’t seem like that’s happening, despite Judon’s laudable recruiting efforts.
The Patriots need more playmakers at receiver, considering Jakobi Meyers led the team in yards and receptions. Woods would’ve been a perfect fit for a late-round pick.
What gives?