Picture this if you will, a passionate Patriots fan who whilst is an advocate for the o-line and definitely a tight end kind of girl, she knows the need for wide receiver cannot be ignored.
And so, during the early days of free agency the Patriots picked up a guy, decent, WR3-4-5 perhaps? Can play on special teams, is said to be a great locker room presence and has a quirky personality. But… He was previously a Buffalo Bill.
For this die hard Pats fan it was a tough pill to swallow. But it’s something we have to get used to as players are traded, selected, cut and picked up. But seriously a Bill…?!?
Perks were sought out, nerves were tempered and former Patriot Devin McCourty told the wonderful Karen Guregian of Mass Live, that he loved the signing and that Mack Hollins has an attitude that he believes will be really good for the team, so I can get on board.
A veteran of 8 NFL seasons with several teams including Miami, and most recently Buffalo, the 6-foot-4, 221-pound wide receiver was a Philadelphia fourth round draft pick in 2017, and remained with the team until 2019.
Hollins has a resume of 112 regular season games, playing his last in Buffalo with 13 starts, 31 receptions and 5 touchdowns. And can apparently, and let me quote the lovely McCourty twin here, “block the hell out of you in the run game.” Hmm, nice!
So they you go, he was a Bill and now he’s a Patriot. Okay I can cope, let’s go!
But wait…
The wide receiver position is still an area of need, Hollins is a good piece, and whilst probably more productive last season than any Patriots WR, he isn’t that top pass catcher fans are pounding the table for.
Okay so perhaps the draft? Let’s get Drake Maye that rookie wide out that can grow in the fold. We shan’t dwell on the fact that Chris Godwin stayed in Tampa Bay, or that DK Metcalf would rather freeze in Pittsburgh than Massachusetts and whilst Brandon Aiyuk may still be a possibility, his injury situation means he may not be a starter for 2025…
Hold up you lovely lot.
Not content with challenging my venom for the Bills, the Patriots (rather inconveniently for this England resident as it was kind of late at night!) announced they were signing Stefon Diggs.
The former Houston Texan (and before that, Buffalo Bill!) had been to New England and spent time with Mike Vrabel. Not only that folks, Diggs had suddenly followed Drake Maye on Instagram! (If you can’t hear the sarcasm dripping in my tone there, there is no hope for you and I.)
But alas, the wide receiver headed home last week with no deal, and possibly with the hope of some Patriots fans fading in his wake.
And yet! Those delicious Patriots decided to test me once more and here we have a new dawn and a new day with, gulp, another ex Bills player.
Now before I get my butt kicked, I do know that Diggs had the majority of success and start of his career, in Minnesota as a Viking and was kinda Justin Jefferson before they drafted Justin Jefferson, but this Pats fan knows Diggs mostly as the Buffalo Bill spending four seasons from 2020 beating their defense!
2025 will be Diggs’ eleventh season in the NFL and he is 31 years old coming off a right knee ACL tear but, according to ESPN this six foot, 182 pound wide receiver is ranked 7th in the NFL since 2020 for touchdowns, so theres that.
I’m guessing many fans are happy with these signings as ultimately the wide receiver room has potential for 2025 to be vastly improved, and I don’t disagree it’s just, Bills? Really?
But I know how it is folks, we have to move on with what’s best for the team, and I wholeheartedly believe that and am excited to have some potential pizazz on this offense! So I can confidently say when these guys, and other free agency signings, suit up in Patriots colours I shall be all good, excited, passionate and positive, and I hope you will be too!
Even so, I may never forgive Coach Bill for trading away Ryan Izzo for a seventh round pick… sometimes folks, emotions just gotta win out.
Go Pats!
This article is dedicated to John (aka CatManDude) who is heroically fighting cancer once again but is still a ray of sunshine in many people’s days. You’ve got this John!
If you wish to delve into the list of free agents the Patriots have signed a little further, full list below, why not check out the latest episodes of Pats Procrastination on the Pats Propaganda Youtube channel! Episodes 56 and 57 are available now and should give you a good laugh in the process! (Links below).
ED Harold Landry III: Signed (3 years, $43.5M)
LB Robert Spillane: Signed (3 years, $33M)
CB Carlton Davis III: Signed (3 years, $54M)
OT Morgan Moses: Signed (3 years, $24M)
DL Milton Williams: Signed (4 years, $104M)
DT Khyiris Tonga: Signed (1 year, $2.1M)
QB Joshua Dobbs: Signed (2 years, $8M)
WR Mack Hollins: Signed (2 years, $8.4M)
ED K’Lavon Chaisson: Signed (1 year ($TBA)
OL Wes Schweitzer: Signed (1 year ($TBA)
S Marcus Epps: Signed (1 year, $2.025M)
C Garrett Bradbury: Signed (2 years, $12M max)
LB Jack Gibbens: Signed (1 year, $TBA)
WR Stefon Diggs: Signed (3 years, $69M max)
Great article with a British flair!