DeMario Douglas has been an integral part of the offense and a fan favorite since the New England Patriots drafted him in the sixth round back in 2023. Unfortunately, after a down year, he could be entering his final days with New England as the team looks to upgrade the wide receiver room this offseason.
Although Douglas has been one of the main producers for the Patriots' offense over the last two years, his production and playing time declined last season for the first time in his career as the Patriots underwent a rebuild with new head coach Mike Vrabel and his staff.
DeMario Douglas' Regression Is Paving the Way to a Patriots Split
In his first two years, Douglas totaled 115 receptions on 166 targets for 1,182 yards and three touchdowns while working with four different quarterbacks and playing for two different head coaches and offensive coordinators.
Last season, however, Douglas’ role took a shocking decline in an offense that’s specifically designed for a player like Douglas to thrive in. He didn’t start any games for the first time, finishing with only 31 receptions on 46 targets for 447 yards and scoring three touchdowns. He did have a career-best 14.4 yards per reception and a 56.5% success rate.
It felt like it was almost certain that Douglas would have a breakout season with the opportunity to work with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for the first time. McDaniels has a reputation for utilizing the slot receiver as the engine of the offense, and Douglas was a perfect fit for that role heading into the regular season.
In 2025, however, Douglas had two games with zero targets, three games with one target, three games with two targets, and only four games with more than three targets. In an offense where he was the leading receiver for two years, this type of drop was unexpected.
Douglas is heading into his fourth season, which is the final year of his rookie contract. He hasn’t been communicated with yet on a potential new contract and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2027.
In a recent interview with The Boston Globe’s Christopher Price, Douglas said that he wants to re-sign with the Patriots, but those conversations haven’t happened yet for the 25-year-old wide receiver.
"“I haven’t had any talks about an extension, but I would love to stay. This feels like home. I’ve been here three seasons now, and I love the coaching staff and my teammates. I loved working with the coaches last year- it felt like I finally got to work with a complete staff. I would definitely love to come back."DeMario Douglas, Patriots WR
Time Is Ticking for Douglas in New England
Although Douglas has put in the time through the down years and is a fan favorite, he wasn’t an essential part of second-year quarterback Drake Maye’s MVP-caliber season, and it puts his future in New England in jeopardy.
In fully understanding that Douglas’ role would inevitably be different with the addition of veteran Stefon Diggs, but Douglas being almost erased from the offense throughout the season is not what was to be expected, despite them playing the position similarly.
It’s worth mentioning that Vrabel has made a few extensions to players who proved themselves to him with their play and impact on the team.
Last season, he re-signed Marcus Jones and Ben Brown during all the action. That's notable because Vrabel inherited the duo when he became head coach and decided they were worth keeping, even if they were left over from the previous regime.
It’s possible that Douglas could be one of the next holdover players to be re-signed, but he might have to wait another year to showcase himself in a better and more impactful way for him to earn another contract in New England. For example, a player in the same boat as Douglas was Kayshon Boutte, and he made the most of his opportunities last season.
Douglas is in the final year of his four-year rookie contract and will be on the books to earn $3,674,000 this season with a cap hit of $3,707,333. He fits the age range, has multiple years of chemistry built with Maye, and his contract isn’t large enough to need to move on from right now.
It would be best for the Patriots to let Douglas prove himself next year, as it will be a low-risk, high-reward situation for New England. If he can't prove that he deserves to be around for the long haul, the next step will be more than clear.