The New England Patriots’ inability to land wide receiver Calvin Ridley has been a hot topic of discussion. Patriots owner Robert Kraft weighed in on the matter on Tuesday morning.
The team still needs a true top receiver, and Ridley could have potentially been that for them. He finished the 2023 season with 76 catches for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns. He ended up signing a four-year, $92 million contract with the Tennessee Titans.
Now, New England may have to find a playmaker through the draft and undergo a youth movement at the position. Kraft revealed a new wrinkle in the failed Ridley signing, via Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed.
“There was one outstanding receiver that unfortunately we couldn’t close. It was not because of finance,” Kraft said. “Clearly, his girlfriend wanted to be in the South. We had a situation where the taxes were, like, almost 10% higher. We offered- we were willing to keep going at that premium. But he didn’t want to be in the Northeast. And part of it might be the quarterback situation as well.”
These could certainly be viable reasons as to why the wide receiver did not end up with the Patriots.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t ignore the fact that the team still needs a top receiver. One has to wonder if these factors will limit the Patriots in the coming years, even if they take a rookie quarterback with the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
