Patriots WR's Time in NE Possibly Nearing an End After Surprise News

Heading into Sunday’s Week 6 contest against the Houston Texans, there’s a ton of excitement surrounding the first NFL start of New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.

Maye will try to help the Patriots snap their four-game losing streak on Sunday, but one wide receiver will not be on the field, which isn’t a good sign for his future. According to Mike Girardi of the Boston Sports Journal, the young wide receiver was made inactive for today’s matchup against the Texans.

Girardi points out that Thornton posted “take things personally” on his Instagram stories Saturday. The young wide receiver only played one snap in the Patriots’ Week 5 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The former second-round pick has struggled to find his footing in the NFL and has been a bust to start his career.

Thornton only has two receptions (five targets) for 27 yards in five games this season. He has posted 37 receptions (73 targets) for 365 yards and two touchdowns over his three-year career.

Earlier this month, Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post reported that the Pats have made it known that Thornton is available. However, based on what he’s shown in the NFL up to this point, it’s hard to see any team giving up draft capital for the former Baylor wide receiver.

If the Patriots cannot trade Thornton by next month’s trade deadline, it honestly would not be shocking to see them release the former second-round pick. 

New England’s brass has not been shy about making shrewd moves at wide receiver, releasing veteran Juju Smith-Schuster after the first preseason game and cutting Jalen Reagor from the practice squad last month.

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