The turnaround for the New England Patriots was nothing short of sensational. But they are going to have to do an even better job if they want to maintain their level of success. This is a team that still has a ton of pressing needs to rectify.
But after releasing Stefon Diggs, the wide receiver position became an immediate priority for them. One name floating around for them is Alec Pierce of the Indianapolis Colts. But one team insider isn’t buying into the hype.
New England Patriots Need a Stefon Diggs Replacement
Last summer, the addition of Diggs was met with raised eyebrows aplenty. After a controversial end to his run with the Buffalo Bills, his lone season with the Houston Texans ended in injury.
Still, a Patriots team lacking at the position gave him a three-year, $63.5 million contract. One year later, he undeniably lived up to that value. Serving as the WR1 for most of the season, he ranked at No. 4 on PFSN’s NFL WR Impact Metric, while putting up 1,013 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Moreover, his presence and leadership played a key role in Drake Maye taking a spectacular leap in his sophomore season and New England going from four wins to a Super Bowl appearance.
Still, the organization chose to cut him after one season, and their dearth at wide receiver continues. One name that has struck the fancy of a lot of the fan base is Pierce. A former second-round pick, he’s coming off the best season of his career.
Even with Daniel Jones going down midway through the season, he was able to put up 1,003 yards and 6 touchdowns, averaging over 21 yards per reception for the second consecutive year.
As a result, most expect the talented 25-year-old to command a massive payday in the offseason, and fans want the Patriots to make a run at him as well. However, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe isn’t mesmerized quite yet.
Taking to X, he voiced his problem. “The Alec Pierce buzz among Patriots fans is pretty hilarious. Would not be smart to give $30m per year to a low-volume receiver who was the Colts’ No. 3 weapon. He’s nowhere close to as good as Stef Diggs.”
While the numbers themselves weren’t worlds apart, Pierce also ranked inside the top 10 on WRi, and that was without a potential MVP candidate under center. However, the low-volume complaint isn’t without merit.
Over his career, Pierce hasn’t been targeted more than 85 times once in his career (an average of five targets per game over a full 17-game season), while failing to register 50 catches (less than three receptions for a full 17-game season).
Whether it was a product of the Colts’ everybody-eats design or shortcomings from Pierce itself, Volin doesn’t see the value in bringing him in. But this is the same Patriots regime that brought out the best in a relatively unproven commodity in Milton Williams.
If they see the value and talent that Pierce has to offer and consider him a viable addition to their roster, then his low-maintenance style could be wildly beneficial for them.
