Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper? -or- Robby to the Rescue? The Latest on the Patriots and Receiver Rumors

Episode Date: March 7, 2022

The New England Patriots are expected to seek some help at wide receiver this offseason. As fate would have it, two of the league’s top players at the position may soon be available. Host Mike D’Abate provides his thoughts on the latest rumors surrounding the Patriots potential interest in wideouts Amari Cooper and Robby Anderson, and whether it is worth New England’s while to consider bringing either, or both, aboard.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you Foxborough faithful. You are now locked in to the Lockdown Patriots podcast. It's the weekend here, folks, and because it's the weekend, we're talking wideouts here on your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots.

Once again, folks, thank you for making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day, a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Remember, Locked On Patriots free and available on all platforms, including YouTube, which you might be watching or listening to this podcast on right now. My name is Mike DeBate. I am your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which, of course, is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

Folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, your comments, your feedback are always welcomed and very much encouraged. So share that feedback and send it to the Internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATENFL. While you're out there doing some weekend wandering through that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Hats fans, it is no secret that the New England Patriots need some help at various positions throughout free agency, especially throughout this offseason.

The 2022 NFL Draft and the free agency period are this offseason the 2022 NFL draft and the free agency period are going to be vital for this team to upgrade recently we talked about JC Jackson and his impending free agency what the Patriots have on the roster currently and who might be able to step up into that role well today on the pod we're going to flip the script and we're going to talk about the opposite side of the ball. Because along with the big news on JC Jackson over the weekend, Patriots also were linked to a pair of prolific wide receivers. And they're expected to seek help at wide receiver this offseason. And as fate would have it, one of them may happen to be available out there on the open market.

Another is someone they'd have to target by a trade and we'll get into that one in just a moment but we'll start off with the news that the New England Patriots might be in the market for a new wide receiver. Someone that they don't know very well but someone they've had some success against and whether it will be worth their while to pursue this wide receiver really is still a matter of conjecture. Ultimately, folks, all going to come down to cost. I'm talking about Adam Schefter's report on Friday that the Dallas Cowboys likely, quote unquote, to release veteran wide receiver Amari Cooper in the coming days. Now, despite being one of the more productive wideouts in the NFL, and I don't think there's

anyone that would argue that Amari Cooper is definitely that cooper's 20 million dollar salary will become guaranteed on march 20th that's the reason why dallas is looking to cut him loose not necessarily because they're not happy with what he does on the field they're thinking that's going to be a little bit too costly for the cowboys as they head into the 2022 season. So Schefter further flushed out this report a little bit. He reported that Dallas has been attempting to trade Amari Cooper, but they haven't been able to find a willing suitor due to the nature of his salary, which is really the culprit at this point of all of the speculation surrounding his future whereabouts. Bottom line here, folks, and I want to give a shout out to my good friends at the Pat's Gap for

confirming this for me but any team that trades for Amari Cooper is automatically going to inherit his 20 million dollar price tag that's an awful lot for any team to expect so that's why Dallas is toying with the idea of releasing him they will save some cap by doing so but a lot of teams are going to be smart to wait this one out because they don't want to absorb a $20 million salary from Amari Cooper. No disrespect intended, but that's just a lot of money to account to any player, and if a team is going to look to take that on prior to free agency, they're going to have to be in pretty good cap situation. Ultimately, we'll see where Amari ends up, but if in fact that he is indeed released, he's going to be free to

sign with any team and it'll be a agreed upon value for both Amari and his new team and he'll be free to join. His signing could be made official prior to the start of free agency on March 16th. And this is important because though he may not reach an agreement on a deal worth 20 plus million, he's still going to command top dollar on the open market and one of the teams that's been linked to him that's right folks your New England Patriots and look bottom line in terms of production on the field Patriots could do a lot worse than Amari Cooper folks believe me he's still a highly productive wide out capable of instantly transforming this team's core of receivers since 2021 uh he's really been

one of the better receivers in the nfc but in 2021 it was a little bit of an overall down year for him he finished the season having compiled 65 receptions 865 receiving yards a catch rate of 65.4 percent those aren't terrible, but it should be noted they were his lowest total since 2017. So Cooper often found himself the second option in Dallas's offense. We all know CeeDee Lamb had a tremendous season last year. He's their clear-cut number one. He's been the favorite target of Dak Prescott. I don't look for that to change anytime soon, even if all the information out there on Amari Cooper is just smoking mirrors if he does possess that skill set still which most people believe he still does even after a down year

in 2021 he'll be able to align on the outside he'll be able to align in the slot he gives teams versatility and again he can automatically transform a wide receiver core and he would do that in New England. He ultimately becomes your number one. He is the most talented receiver on this roster if he signs here this second over anyone else they have on the team. And that's coming from a guy that's been very complimentary of all the receivers that the Patriots have, including McKeel Harry. And I know it upsets some of you, but I still think there's a pro lurking somewhere beneath

the surface with McKeel. But Amari Cooper is your best if he comes in here and signs today. He's only 27 years old, so he's got a few more prime years left in him. I mean, this seems like a no-brainer. It seems like a situation where the New England Patriots would have no problem putting their name out there and trying to bring Amari Cooper into town. Well, they have a clear need for someone like Amari on this roster. The Patriots have been mentioned among his suitors for a reason, obviously because they're looking for that number one wide out to pair with Mac Jones. Their interest makes sense. Again, New England doesn't have that type of prolific wide receiver at the top of their depth chart.

They definitely need someone to pair alongside Mack. He'd benefit greatly from playing along a receiver with both the talent and the experience that Amari Cooper brings to the table. He's amassed at least 1,000 receiving yards in five of his first six pro seasons. Amari Cooper, folks, not Mack Jones. That would be an incredible feat for Mack. But no, I'm talking about Amari Cooper, folks, not Mack Jones. That would be an incredible feat for Mack, but no, I'm talking about Amari Cooper. And since joining the NFL in 2015, he's hauled in 46 touchdown passes. That's ninth among all receivers in that timeframe. From Cooper's perspective, if you're looking at where he'd like to go, you'd think the Patriots would be at the top of that

list. You'd certainly think that he'd be amenable to joining this team. Not only would he get a chance to play for the Patriots at coach Bill Belichick, definitely a drawing factor in for a lot of guys, but also to join an offense featuring Jones, a quarterback. And at that point, Cooper would then be able to come in. He wouldn't have to align against the Patriots defense. That's actually done very well against him so if he has any uh grand uh illusions of signing with someone that's going to be playing the Patriots once or even twice a year he may not want to be so eager to align against the Patriots they've had some pretty good games against him uh this Patriots defense during this time has held him to only eight catches on 17 targets 83 83 yards, and one touchdown across three career meetings. So they've been able to keep him in check. You know, the old saying goes, folks,

if you can't beat him, join him. Well, Amari Cooper may actually be smart to do that against the New England Patriots if he wants to come here. So again, keep touting that horn, but it seems like a no-brainer, doesn't it? Well, not so fast. Despite how good Amari Cooper is as a receiver, his price is likely going to price the Patriots out of contention for his services. The Pats currently have just under $4.9 million in available cap space. That's according to our good friend who will be a guest on this show at the end of the week to preview free agency my good buddy the wizard of benzon himself miguel benzon the pats cap and it's not enough obviously there's no question about it for the team to be a major player in the amari cooper market either whether

they wanted to trade which obviously they're not going to do but if they wanted to enter free agency they'd have to make a handful of cap-clearing moves to even enter the discussion. The Patriots, I think, are ultimately going to find that Amari Cooper's cost is just going to exceed their budget. And even though he'd look pretty good in a Patriots uniform in 2022 and beyond, and again, I got excited myself just thinking about the possibilities of pairing him alongside someone like Mac Jones. You get the Alabama connection. There's all different kinds of things that you can possibly go through there. Ultimately, I think the Patriots, I should say, will ultimately err on the side of caution.

I think they want to be able to keep their financial situation fluid and bring in someone with Amari Cooper's type of prowess. And the price tag that he's going to command might just be a little bit too rich for their blood, especially if they're going to sign him by a free agency. So Cooper will probably get a lot more lucrative offers. And I think that ultimately is going to tip his hand. There's a chance that he comes here. There's no, nobody's saying that it's impossible, but I'd color it unlikely at this point. And it's a shame because I do think that Amari Cooper would look great in a Patriots uniform, but at the end of the day, it's a business. And the business of the New England Patriots is trying to keep your team competitive for as long as you can.

Business of someone like Amari Cooper is trying to get paid in the window that you can get paid in and nobody can fault him for that. So we'll see what happens. And ultimately, you know, hopefully the Patriots will be able to make the right decision when it comes to their wide receiver core. But Amari Cooper is not the only wide out that they've been linked to lately. The Patriots also may be trading for an old division rival, or are they? Well, that's the question right now. When Locked On Patriots returns, I'll be discussing Robbie Anderson and the Carolina Panthers and whether or not the Patriots may be pulling the trigger on a trade to bring the former New York Jet here to Foxborough.

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Head to the website today or use your mobile device to learn more about the trends and action. BetOnline, where the game starts. Patriots fans, once again, it's the weekend and we're talking wideouts here on this special edition of Locked On Patriots. And ultimately, Patriots fans got a little excited over the weekend when they heard about the potential of Amari Cooper possibly joining the New England Patriots, either through trade or most likely through free agency. I poured a little water on the hot coals just a moment ago and said that I didn't believe that the Patriots and Amari Cooper were a likely fit. Again, I'm not saying it's impossible, folks. I'm just giving you my honest opinion and what my thought process is in terms of how the Patriots usually do business and what Amari Cooper might be able to get on the open market. Bottom line, I think it's going to be more than

what the Patriots are willing to match. But another interesting report hit on Saturday morning, and this one coming courtesy of Greg Bedard and the Boston Sports Journal, where he mentioned that former New England Patriots rival with the New York Jets, wide receiver Rodney, excuse me, Robbie Anderson might be heading to New England via trade with the Carolina Panthers. Apparently the two sides have talked about it, and this is something that New England may in fact explore. And this one surprised me a little bit. I'm not going to lie. It makes some sense, but the fact that they're exploring the trade with the Panthers for Anderson services to me does signify that the Patriots are very much interested in upgrading their wide receiver core, mostly because they need help at the position, but

I think they're very committed to trying to get Mac Jones that number one wide out that's going to make him the quarterback that they all hope he will be. I'm going to quote verbatim from Berdard's most recent column, and basically Greg says that the Patriots seem much more likely to get an impact receiver via trade and have targeted a familiar player. According to league sources, if the Patriots land this receiver or if this is representative of the type of player that they would like to add, it would also seem to put the future of Nelson Aguilar in doubt. In comes Robbie Anderson, exit Nelson Aguilar, and I'll get into that in a moment as well. But according to Greg, and again, I'm quoting verbatim, the Patriots have at least shown

interest, some interest, in trading for Panthers wide receiver Robbie Anderson, the former Jet impressed against the Patriots on film despite not much production. Nine games, 49 targets, 17 receptions, 181 yards, no touchdowns. Other possible trade targets include Calvin Ridley. We've mentioned his name a few times here on Locked On Patriots, Pats fans. We will continue to do that throughout the week, but they're not known at this time other than just Ridley. And according to Greg, it would not surprise if the Patriots are targeting multiple X boundary type of receivers by a trade and will ultimately settle on the best deal and money. Again, it's a

business and that's exactly what they're going to do. The Patriots, very bluntly folks, want the best bang for their buck. And for those of you that are clamoring for that bona fide wide receiver one that everybody keeps talking about, the news of Anderson's potential acquisition, that may not give you the same type of enthusiasm that you have for a guy like a Ridley or an Amari Cooper that we just talked about. But it should be noted that the Patriots and Bilicek always are aware of their opponents, and they're well aware of what Robbie Anderson can do, especially against them. And even though the numbers are not as prolific, it's a sign that Bill Bilicek and the Patriots have respected him enough to be able to

game plan against him and actually believe it or not Anderson spoke about this in November of 2021 prior to the Patriots week eight matchup with the Panthers and basically said that Belichick came up to him and said I'm tired of scheming against you I want to scheme with you and that was essentially done during the 2020 free agent period when Robbie Anderson was essentially a free agent from the Jets. He chose to sign with the Carolina Panthers. Bottom line, that to me shows a lot of respect for Belichick. And in order for him to say that, some of us, I think we're a little skeptical as to whether or not that happened, but apparently it did. And look, there's no question about it. Anderson did not put up gaudy numbers against the New England Patriots, but his aptness

to play through the Patriots man coverage schemes, they were enough to impress Bill Belichick to make that type of statement. So if that's a situation where they at least considered to add him during the 2020 season, this rumor may have some teeth, folks. And look, I'll run down Anderson's qualifications. And this guy is a much better receiver than probably he gets credit for. First four seasons of his career with the Jets, he opted to sign with the Panthers. And during that season in 2020, he became one of the NFC's most productive receivers. He caught 95 passes, 1,096 yards,

three touchdowns, but he struggled a little bit in 2021. And I should say that it wasn't all his fault. There was a lot of inconsistency, a lot of uncertainty, especially at the quarterback position in Carolina last season. It allowed him to have his lowest statistical year in quite some time. And, you know, Anderson would finish the 2021 season with only 53 catches, 519 yards, but he did have five touchdowns. So this guy can make it into the end zone and be a very viable scarring threat. He's versatile. Robbie Anderson played out of the slot a lot when he was in New York, but ultimately if the Patriots are going to be bringing him in, Bedard noted that they're going to be doing so to be a vertical threat

that's what they want to deploy him as and as a result that means that nelson aguilar would likely be on the outside looking in and of course we all remember nelson signed with the patriots last year during free agency he's likely to become expendable if the patriots were to add robbie anderson again folks this is all hypothetical. No one is saying that these trades are imminent. There's a good chance that none of this happens. But if the Patriots do trade for Robbie Anderson and they swap out Nelson Aguilar as a result, what does that essentially mean for New England? Well, in my opinion, I think it's a little more of a negligible difference. These two players are not not interchangeable but it is logical whether to

question if swapping anderson services or swapping algalore services to bring in anderson is really going to give the patriots enough of a change at the wide receiver core to give them the upgrade that they're seeking in the 2022 nfl season each of them put up impressive numbers in 2020 obviously nelson aguilar a career year in las vegas before he came to New England and earned himself a pretty lucrative deal, but they both struggled in 2021. And I think a lot of that comes down to circumstances. was a little bit more about environment problems around him at the quarterback position with Aguilar I think some of it had to do with injury I think some of it had to do with unfamiliarity and I'll say it I don't think Aguilar was the same player after the team's week 15 loss to the Indianapolis Colts he suffered a concussion in that game and just was not the type of player that the Patriots needed down the stretch to give them that threat to stretch the field a little bit

and be that vertical target that Mac Jones wanted him to be and that really that the team needed him to be. So ultimately what would happen to the New England Patriots if in fact they decided to go with Anderson over Aguilar? Well you know Mac Jones struggled to get the ball downfield last year and that reduced some of Aguilar's chances to showcase his speed and ability to get the ball downfield last year, and that reduced some of Aguilar's chances to showcase his speed and ability to get open over the top. I think it's definitely still there. He showed he can do it in Las Vegas with Derek Carr. And a lot of the credit should be given to some of the aggressive defenses that Mac and

the Patriots had to face in 2021. But Jones and Aguilar just never seem to develop the type of synergy that they really need to be that prolific pair of quarterback and wide receiver that you see throughout the league does that mean they can't develop that synergy no it absolutely doesn't and with a year in the system for both Mac Jones and Nelson Aguilar it could lead to greater things this season but maybe a change of scenery might benefit Nelson. Converse is true as well. Maybe all of a sudden, Robbie Anderson coming in is the change of scenery he needs to be able to make the plays that everybody believes that he would be able to make. Ultimately

though, folks, what this comes down to is a matter of business, and the decision is going to be a financial one. Anderson has two years and nearly 19 million remaining on his current $29.5 million contract that was extended after last season. If he's traded, his cap hits for his new team would be $13 million in 2022 and $12 million in 2023 with $8 million of his 2022 salary being fully guaranteed. Again, shout out to my buddy, the Bats cat, Miguel. Thanks, man. I owe you an awful lot on these for definitely confirming all of the financials behind these deals. Again, folks, Miguel is the best in the business.

Follow him if you're not already doing so. I know most of you are, but if you're not, please do so, especially with free agency in the draft coming up. He is about as surefire of a must follow that you can find. But I digress. Let's get to Aguilar. Aguilar's dead money would account to about $10 million if he's cut in 2022 or prior to 2022, $5 million if he's traded.

So that $5 million savings is definitely appealing to the New England Patriots. That's the difference. And again, according to Miguel, the $5 million difference results from his $5 million in fully guaranteed salary. If Aguilar is moved by a trade, the responsibility to pay that amount would go to his new team. So the Patriots would definitely want to move Nelson rather than just cut him outright. The Patriots could save about $5 million against the cap if they were to trade Aguilar. I believe the exact number would be about $4.9 million. So the financials in place definitely prove that this is something that the Patriots could do.

Trade Aguilar, save the money, and be able to bring in Robbie Anderson. But New England's going to have to find a willing trade partner, and this is where we come back to Greg Bedard's report. Greg intimated, I should say, that McDaniels and the Raiders, Josh McDaniels and the Las Vegas Raiders, might actually be a potential fit. He's got a history with the team. He knows how to play with Derek Carr. He's got a history with Josh McDaniels. Josh knows full well what he could do. That could be a potential fit.

So keep your eye on the Raiders if the Patriots talk about moving Nelson Aguilar. But ultimately, folks, in the final analysis acquiring Anderson definitely won't weaken this Patriots team by a long shot the swap of he and Aguilar now this is of course figurative because it really wouldn't be a like for like it would be trades going it would be you know players or some sort of compensation or commodities going to the Panthers for Anderson and then turning around and having the Patriots trade Nelson Aguilar away to get something in return. I don't necessarily know if it's the like-for-like significant improvement that the Patriots would need to be able to pull the trigger on the trade, like I said just a few moments ago. So ultimately, if they do acquire Anderson they're

still going to be left with the need to fill the role of a pass catcher that can make catches over the middle of the field which is something that the Patriots consistently struggle with and they have struggled with since Julian Edelman retired they're going to need to fill that void they're going to need someone that can go over the middle and extend drives on third down. And I think the Patriots will still need to be active in free agency and maybe even in the draft to get that done. As a result, I don't see them committing an awful lot of cap space or an awful lot of salary to a wide receiver like a Robbie Anderson. Definitely not like an Amari Cooper that we mentioned in the previous segment. This 2022 NFL draft class is pretty deep with players who fit that description. So if you look at the Patriots and what they're going to be able to do, I look for them to

look at the draft, look at this free agent crop that does have some intriguing names on there when they do hit the open market to be able to fill some of the void. I'm not so sure the Patriots go this route, but then again, I could be wrong. This is my opinion. The New England Patriots could end up doing something that would surprise a lot of people. And again, you always have to expect the unexpected with Bill Belichick.

He may be predictably unpredictable, but at the same time, there are also moves that may make you scratch your head sometimes. In Bill we trust, I guess we'll see in the coming weeks. Folks, the time continues to tick away until the start of the legal tampering period in just a week on March 14th, and

we'll continue to bring you all the latest news, notes and analysis from Foxborough right here on Locked On Patriots. Don't forget to tune into Monday's episode where our good green friend, the Count of Murphy, Fisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy, joins me to muse the draft. And we've got a couple of intriguing drafts to muse this week.

We'll also get Murph's quick thoughts on J.C. Jackson and all of the wide receiver potential movement with the Patriots. However, in the meantime, please continue to stay safe, stay well, be the change that you wish to see in the world. Thank you once again from the bottom of my heart for making Locked On Patriots, or I should say for you to make Locked On Patriots your first listen every day

and continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow, folks, have a great day and don't forget to stay locked in to Locked On Patriots.