5 New England Patriots Free Agency Targets
By Liam McKeone
Kirk Cousins
The widely-held assumption at this point in time is that the Patriots will be taking a quarterback with their first-round draft pick. There's a decent chance they do not do that if Caleb Williams and Drake Maye go No. 1 and No. 2 as expected. Jayden Daniels is gaining momentum as the No. 3 prospect and one worthy of going as high as New England's pic, but he is not clear-cut in the way the other two guys are. The Pats might decide to go the route of using the draft to acquire all the non-quarterback talent required to succeed and buy a band-aid in the form of a veteran quarterback in free agency.
The best of those expected to be available is Kirk Cousins. Yes, he is coming off a torn Achilles at 36 years old, but he raises the floor of his offense far more than any alternate option available. And even if his play takes a dip after such a serious injury, he'd still be a far better option than running it back with Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe. Signing Cousins to a lucrative two-year deal (the same type he's been comfortable signing in Minnesota) to hold down the fort while the team acquires as much talent as possible is not the worst option in the world. Is it the right one? We have no idea. But it does ensure the Patriots will be more competitive last year (a low bar, but cleared nonetheless) and gives them more options on draft day. It wouldn't be a surprise to see them go after a vet like Cousins when free agency opens.