On the heels of adding and retaining some playmakers on offense with the re-signing of wideout Kendrick Bourne and signing of running back Antonio Gibson, Eliot Wolf and co. are looking to make some addition through subtraction on offense.
Patriots informed WR DeVante Parker that they are releasing him Wednesday and he now has been given permission to talk to other teams, per his agent Jimmy Gould.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 11, 2024
Patriots Release Veteran Wide Receiver
The New England Patriots informed wide receiver DeVante Parker on Monday afternoon that he would be released on Wednesday when the new league year begins. The 31-year-old was slated to earn $6.5 million in 2024.
In his two years in a Patriots uniform, Parker never lived up to the player that New England was hoping for when they acquired the former 14th overall pick from the Miami Dolphins in 2022. He averaged a mere 2.5 catches and 35.9 yards per game.
Parker joined the Patriots in 2022 in exchange for a third-round pick. Following his first season with New England, Bill Belichick rather surprisingly handed the receiver a three-year extension worth up to $33 million in June 2023. Less than a year later, the new regime is moving on from yet another "Bill guy".
Earlier in the offseason, it had been reported that the Patriots were shopping Parker, and would even settle for a late-round pick to offload the underperforming wideout. Clearly, the market for Parker wasn't enticing,
Parker has pervasively struggled with separation over the past four seasons at an astonishing rate, as noted by Warren Sharp.
this is hilarious
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) March 7, 2024
WR separation using Next Gen Stats player tracking data
DeVante Parker rankings by year:
2020: #132 out of 132
2021: #127 out of 127
2022: #122 out of 122
2023: #115 out of 115
impressively dead last in separation for 4 straight years pic.twitter.com/Rx2wlxqpR5
New England was also reportedly considering parting ways from another veteran wideout in JuJu Smith-Schuster. He could very well be next up on the chopping block in Foxborough.
The Patriots have plenty of work to do this offseason to get back to relevance. They are currently considered extremely long shots to win the AFC East next season with +1700 odds. Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook and claim your sign-up bonus ahead of the new Patriots season.
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