3 Best Remaining Free Agents the Patriots Can Still Sign After the Draft
2. Zay Jones, WR
You've got to watch out for the coaching connections when it comes to NFL Free Agency at this time of year. Guys who get signed later in the process are more likely to wind up with coaches they have worked with in the past because they won't have to spend a bunch of time learning new terminology or fighting for favor with new coaches.
That's not to say every free agent signing at this juncture involves a specific coaching connection, but the Patriots will have to move quickly if they want to sign someone like Zay Jones...
Free agent WR Zay Jones, who was released after the NFL Draft by the #Jaguars, is visiting the #Titans today, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 6, 2024
Jones has an obvious connection to Tennessee OC Nick Holz, as the two were both in Jacksonville last year.
For the (possibly short) time being, Zay Jones remains available. The Jaguars were able to get Brian Thomas Jr. in the 2024 NFL Draft, so they deemed Jones to be replaceable and expendable. Jones had a somewhat shockingly good year in 2022 with the Jaguars when he caught 82 passes on a whopping 121 targets with over 800 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
He was limited last season to only nine games, and the Jaguars all regressed offensively last season (with Trevor Lawrence being hurt), but he could still be a nice value for the Patriots this offseason.
He could provide what the Patriots got from JuJu Smith-Schuster last year for a fraction of the cost, and probably none of the TikToks.