Patriots add wide receiver on futures contract

On Tuesday, the New England Patriots announced the signing of wide receiver Kawaan Baker to a futures contract. These contracts, which are generally minimum money deals, allow teams to sign players who were not on a team's roster at the end of the regular season before the roster limit goes back up to 90 players. The deals go into effect when the new league year begins in March.

Baker, 25, entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick out of South Alabama in 2021. He played two games for the New Orleans Saints his rookie year as a practice squad elevation, playing exclusively on special teams.

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The next year Baker was suspended for violating the NFL's PED policy, and later waived. He then had stints on the Packers' and Eagles' practice squads, before returning to the Saints late in the 2022 season. Baker spent last summer with the Saints in camp, then was released as part of final roster cuts.

There are now two wide receivers set to officially join the Patriots in March off futures contracts. Baker joins T.J. Luther, who was on the Patriots' practice squad for part of last season. Other futures contracts the Patriots have right now include running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn, offensive linemen Andrew Stueber and Michael Jordan, defensive linemen Trysten Hill and William Bradley-King, linebacker Joe Giles-Harris, and cornerback Azizi Hearn.

As for the rest of the Patriots' wide receiver room, our Matt Dolloff broke down what the group looks like heading into this offseason...

Before the New England Patriots really dive into the 2024 off-season, let's reset the wide receiver depth chart.

Because at least some of these players are on track to be right back with the Pats in training camp. The Patriots need wide receivers, yes, but they're not about to blow out the entire room. It's worth knowing who's still left behind from the debacle that was 2023.

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In fact, it's fair to wonder how much the receivers are even at fault for what happened last season. The quarterbacks, coaches, and offensive line are at least ahead of them on the list. This group might be enough for Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, or Josh Allen.

You'll notice that Kendrick Bourne is not on this list, mainly because he's an impending free agent. He's been covered as a considered a candidate to return after tearing his ACL. But he and another soon-to-be-free agent remain on the roster for now. Here's what to know about the rest of the Patriots' wide receivers...

In an otherwise abysmal offensive season, Douglas was THE bright spot. THE silver lining. Incredibly, the 2023 Patriots technically landed a good wide receiver.

Douglas' speed, short-area quickness, and reliable hands were almost immediately on display in training camp, and he never had a marked drop-off in performance or production. That didn't necessarily translate to a dynamic rookie season - he may have had issues with Bill Belichick early on - but he caught 39 passes for 418 yards over his final nine games, which averages out to 74-790 over a full campaign.

Douglas may not be the new No. 1 weapon the Patriots still need. Ultimately, his ceiling seems to be that of a good No. 1 slot receiver. His lack of size will limit him at the NFL level. But he's got the quickness and hands to make plays over the middle and in the short-to-intermediate areas of the field, and he'll break off big runs after the catch at times too.

With "Pop" Douglas, the Pats at least know they have a piece for the future on an offense that is practically bereft of pieces for the future.

Amid all the untimely drops and headaches in the regular season, you may forget that DeVante Parker tacked on two years to his contract with the Patriots during camp. He's signed through 2025.

Parker, 31, caught just 33 passes for 394 yards in 2023, and amazingly did not score a single touchdown. He had just two games with five or more catches, and the always-injury-prone receiver missed another four games with various ailments. So now, keeping him another two seasons, let alone keeping him at all, is an ugly proposition.

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However, Parker is guaranteed $3.19 million in salary for 2024, per Over The Cap. Incredibly cheap. So perhaps Parker could be worth keeping around, if he's just part of the depth and not expected to be the No. 1 outside receiver or anything close to it.

At the same time, the Patriots would save about $6.8 million in cash over the next two seasons if they release Parker or can find a trade partner for him. A pre-June 1 trade would create $3.33 million in cap space for 2024 and $5M for 2025, so it's not like they're hamstrung with the contract. It's not impossible that Parker ultimately plays elsewhere next season.

Smith-Schuster is arguably their most expendable receiver, because he mainly plays inside and the Patriots have a good slot receiver. But he's less expendable than one may desire, because of his contract.

The 27-year-old is due $7 million in guaranteed salary for 2024, per Over The Cap. Cutting him before June 1 would cost the Pats $1.9 million against the cap. If they're going to pay him that money, they might as well keep him around and hope that he can stay healthy. That is, if the two sides didn't decide they need a change.

That doesn't seem likely after just one year. So, Smith-Schuster might ultimately land in the "stuck with him" category, just like Parker. But if and when the Patriots add new receivers, perhaps they will become more willing to eat the financial penalties that arise from moving on.

Finally, a more positive story among the Patriots' wide receivers. Reagor signed midseason as a former castaway of the Eagles and Vikings, as the 2020 first-round pick has yet to live up to his draft stock.

He still hasn't as a Patriot, but intriguingly, Reagor started to make some plays for them down the stretch of 2023. Reagor made four catches over his final three games, and averaged a staggering 26.3 yards. Consistency and more volume would make Reagor the dynamic wideout he was supposed to be.

It's worth finding out if he can tap into his remaining potential as a member of the Patriots. He's on track to become a free agent, so he's technically in the same boat as Bourne. But it's a slam-dunk easy decision to sign Reagor for a minimal one-year deal and see how he continues to develop.

It's not Thornton's fault that he's a remnant of the Bill Belichick era and the subpar drafting that doomed the head coach/GM in the end. But two seasons into his NFL career, Thornton has rarely looked like a player that was worthy of a second-round pick.

And that's a little surprising to anyone that saw Thornton with their own two eyes in his first training camp as a rookie in 2022. The speed, route-running, and hands were all there. Unfortunately, Thornton hasn't shown enough toughness at the catch point, which is making him vulnerable to any kind of press-man coverage or physicality.

Thornton should still have a chance to contribute in year 3, and nobody needs it to work out more than him. It's just hard to have much confidence that he'll live up to his draft stock.

Boutte unfortunately made headlines recently because of his arrest on charges related to illegal sports betting. That the Patriots haven't cut Boutte should declare that, like Jack Jones, they're willing to let the legal process play out before making a decision on him.

But for now, Boutte can't be counted on to contribute anything to the Patriots in 2024, if he's even still on the team come Week 1. He's shown good hands and breakaway speed, but he clearly has plenty of off-field trouble to sort through before he can think about having success in the NFL.

The Patriots recently signed Luther to a futures contract, locking him in to the 90-man roster for 2024 camp. Luther spent much of the 2023 season on the Patriots' practice squad, before being released in November. Mayo and the new-look Patriots staff clearly saw enough from Luther that they liked to keep him around for a summer. To borrow an old go-to line from Bill Belichick ... we'll see how it goes.

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Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Check out all of Matt's content.