Patriots make notable free-agent addition at wide receiver

The New England Patriots have added a legitimate new weapon for Drake Maye in free agency. As first reported by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Patriots are signing former Packers wideout Romeo Doubs.

To say there's been conflicting information on Doubs' contract would be the understatement of the year. It's either three or four years, and the maximum value is up to $80 million. Albert Breer has the contract at four years with a base value of $68M, with $80M at the top end. Considering the Patriots' propensity for convoluted contracts in terms of bonuses, incentives, and even void years, it's understandable that the language of the Doubs deal got lost in translation.

Money aside, Doubs is a legitimate addition to the Patriots wide receiver depth chart. He averaged 58 catches, 698 yards, and six touchdowns per 17 games over his first four seasons with the Packers. He can line up anywhere on the field; in 2025, he had about an even split of his 708 outside snaps at the "X" and "Z" spots, with 115 snaps in the slot. So in terms of his usage and workload, he should at least be able to replace some of the production lost by the release of Stefon Diggs.

Doubs can also run a variety of routes and get open in the short and intermediate areas of the field, which is vital to the passing game in Josh McDaniels' offense. He's also a reliable chain-mover; Doubs finished 15th in the league with 48 catches for a first down, and 11th in first downs on passes of 10 or fewer yards. So, if Maye has a third-and-9 type of situation and simply needs to keep the drive alive, Doubs should be a reliable target.

Despite Doubs' sure fit for the Patriots' scheme, as well as their internal culture, he's unlikely to solve their issue of finding Maye a true No. 1 target. If he wants to make a similar impact to that of, say, Brandon LaFell on the 2014 Patriots, then they'll need their Rob Gronkowski equivalent to dictate opposing coverages and open opportunities for everyone else. Their best hope for that, at this point, is to trade for A.J. Brown or another established talent, or take another shot in the draft.

But Doubs should certainly produce when on the field, and make life easier for Maye. Between him and the blocking reinforcements they've brought in, the offense is making progress toward improving overall as a unit.