Tom Brady needs weapons if the New England Patriots are going keep him around. It’s as simple as that.
More specifically, he needs reliable pass catchers who can get on the same page as him while having an innate ability to create separation. Brady’s time of molding and making receivers better is abruptly coming to an end, so he needs veterans that can contribute on a championship level.
Drafting receivers can be hit or miss and it’s clear that New England must land one or two free agents who can make an immediate impact. The list of free agents is slim this offseason, so the Patriots must be aggressive to land one or two high-performing players.
Here’s a list of five free agents the Patriots should consider.
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals

A.J. Green, 31, is the most explosive receiver to hit free agency this year — if healthy. The 6-foot-4, 210 pound receiver has played his eight NFL seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and was nothing short of a dominant force while on the field.
Aside from 2018 where Green’s season was cut to nine games due to an ankle injury, he’s recorded over 1,000 yards every year except for one — and he still recorded 964. He’s totaled 602 catches, 8,907 yards and 63 touchdowns in his career while averaging 80.2 yards per game.
Cincinnati finished 2-14 last season and there’s a general idea that Green wants to play for a contender at this point in his career. There was speculation the Patriots would trade for him during the 2019 season, but instead they made a move for Mohamed Sanu. New England needs weapons and the addition of Green could be enticing enough to bring Brady back for 2020.
There is a higher risk for injury, but the Patriots could use that as leverage to conjure up a team-friendly contract. Green joining New England would make sense for both parties and it’d likely be short-term deal with a Super Bowl or bust mentality.
Emmanuel Sanders, San Francisco 49ers

Emmanuel Sanders, 32, is probably the second-best option for the Patriots if he can sustain his play from 2019. Sanders is 5-foot-11, 180 pounds and he’d give the Patriots a slot receiver with elite speed and deep knowledge of the game.
Sanders’ situation is a little different from Green, because he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers last season — who made it to Super Bowl LIV. The offense seemed stagnate in the Super Bowl and depended mainly on their three-headed rushing attack. Sanders was able to pull in 36 catches, 502 yards and three touchdowns in nine games with the 49ers.
It’s very possible that San Francisco doesn’t play defensively at the level they did in 2019, giving the Patriots a better chance of contending in 2020. Sanders proved he still has some juice in him and he spoke very highly of the possibility of playing with the Patriots if he joined them earlier in his career.
“If I had went to New England, I probably would’ve been a Hall of Famer,” Sanders said, via NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry. “I probably would’ve been a Hall of Famer. That was, what, my third year in the league? Tom (Brady) would’ve had, what, seven more years left? How many Super Bowls have they won from then? But it didn’t work out. That’s not the plan that God wanted for me. I don’t regret anything. Year 10. Third Super Bowl. I’m blessed, man.”
Once again, the Patriots could likely strike a team-friendly contract because of Sanders’ age, while giving him another realistic shot at winning his second Super Bowl championship.
Danny Amendola, Detroit Lions

Danny Amendola, 34, is one of the most interesting free agents for the Patriots to consider. He’s a fan-favorite in the Boston area after spending five seasons with the team.
Brady needs trusted receivers and he hasn’t clicked with many wideouts in the way he did with Amendola. Not only would the addition of Amendola help New England move the chains, but he’d re-join a locker room with his best friend, Julian Edelman, and many other familiar faces. With young talent like N’Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers, the addition of Amendola would be beneficial in many aspects.
Amendola played in 15 games last season with the Detroit Lions, totaling 62 catches for 672 yards and a touchdown. He averaged a catch percentage of 70.3 percent in New England had an unreal ability to improvise after plays fell apart. There was reported mutual interest between Amendola and New England last season and it could very likely happen in 2020 in pursuit for a Brady return.
Similar to Green and Sanders, the Patriots could likely return him on a very team-friendly deal.
Robby Anderson, New York Jets

Robby Anderson, 26, is a very intriguing prospect for the Patriots to consider. He’s a 6-foot-3, 190 pound receiver who can flat-out run. Anderson has spent four seasons with the New York Jets and his slipped under the radar because of their lackluster seasons as of late.
He’s pulled in 207 catches, 3,059 yards and 20 touchdowns in his time so far with the Jets. Anderson has only missed two NFL games due to injury and he’s averaging 14.8 yards per catch. He’s reliable and would provide a consistent deep threat that New England has yet to find in recent seasons.
Contractually, Anderson is in the prime of his career and would require more money with a long-term contract most likely. Since the Patriots are willing to make sacrifices to retain Brady, they could put together an enticing contract to bring Anderson in.
Not to mention, he’s spent his entire career in the AFC East and Bill Belichick is very familiar with his game.
Randall Cobb, Dallas Cowboys

Randall Cobb, 29, could be a game-changer if he joined the Patriots. He spent the first eight years of his career with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, while spending last season with the Dallas Cowboys.
Cobb is a 5-foot-10, 192 pound slot receiver that can also stretch the field vertically. His 2018 season in Green Bay finished early with a hamstring injury and he bounced back in Dallas last season with 55 catches, 828 yards and three touchdowns.
The Patriots reportedly had interest in trading for Cobb last season before the deadline, but nothing went through. He has eight years of experience with one of the league’s greatest quarterbacks ever and that could likely translate to Brady — if he stays.
Cobb is an under-the-radar receiver that could make a huge impact in New England.