The New England Patriots pursued receiver Adam Humphries in 2019 when he ultimately landed with the Tennessee Titans. And he’s back on the market after the Titans released him on Thursday.
That led to a chorus on Twitter from fans and media members: Could the Patriots be interested? It’s likely. Maybe he had a rough two years with Tennessee, where he sunk on the depth chart over the course of time, in part because A.J. Brown, Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith emerged as outstanding pass-catchers.
Yes, Humphries would make sense for the Patriots for so many reasons. As they indicated by offering him a contract in 2019, Humphries show tremendous potential in 2018 when he stood out in Tampa’s offense. He would be a natural schematic fit in an offense that requires its pass-catchers to get open quickly. It’s hard to imagine that the last two seasons would detract in a significant way from the Patriots’ evaluation of Humphries, even if he wasn’t hugely productive. If anything, it will make him a less costly option in free agency.
But Humphries’ release is a sign of more cap casualties to come — and he’s hardly the first veteran to hit the market. Receivers Alshon Jeffery and Desean Jackson are free agents after getting released earlier this month. Defensive end J.J. Watt is a free agent, too.
With many NFL teams headed for a salary cap crunch in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, we will see a handful of talented players get cut, if only because NFL teams are less equipped than ever to carry bloated contracts. And the Patriots have the cap space to scoop up those talented players, because they should have over $60 million in cap space this offseason, putting New England among the top five teams.
Not only do the Patriots have ample opportunity to spend, but they will also have an even bigger pool of free agents to spend on.
