The New England Patriots are the favorites to win the Super Bowl this 2017 season, but they will face this upcoming campaign without one of their best players.
The loss of Julian Edelman due to a season-ending knee injury spelled doom for the Patriots. Even though the reigning Super Bowl champions should be fine as long as they have Tom Brady, missing the top receiver is not easy. Brady and the rest of the offense will have to go through an adjustment period. But there is one option that could help them replace the production of Edelman.
We are talking about signing Anquan Boldin. The veteran receiver is likely to get into the Hall Of Fame once his career ends, and he profiles as an excellent replacement for Edelman. Both thrive on the slot, and Boldin is an experienced player who should fit quite nicely in New England’s offense. But there are several things that need to happen before Boldin can actually join the Patriots.
First of all, there’s the thing of Boldin’s situation. The veteran receiver signed with the Buffalo Bills in the offseason but later chose to retire. But since he hasn’t filed his papers yet, he remains a Buffalo player – at least for now. So unless Boldin retires and then unretires, New England would have to agree to a deal with the Bills. And no one sees the Pats giving up something for Boldin when we consider the wide receiver doesn’t have a future with the team after this season.
And considering the Patriots’ interest from Boldin is reportedly public, we know Buffalo is not going to release him to help a division rival. That’s just not going to happen.
With that being said, it would be a great football fit. For one, Boldin’s a Hall of Fame-caliber receiver. He ranks ninth all-time in career receptions with 1,076. If he does un-retire, he’d likely pass Terrell Owens (1,078), Jason Witten (1,089), Tim Brown (1,094), Cris Carter (1,101), and Marvin Harrison (1,102), which means he would move up all the way to No. 4 on the all-time list. He could easily end up third considering that spot is currently taken by Larry Fitzgerald. The veteran Cardinals player was 1,125 career grabs under his belt.
Let’s be clear on one thing, though. New England is going to be fine with or without Boldin on the roster. But there is no doubt that having the 36-year-old running slot routes would make the Pats even more dangerous. Because yes, that’s possible.