Lions Projected to Steal Patriots' RB

The New England Patriots will have some decisions to make about their own free agents this offseason. One of those free agents is running back JaMycal Hasty.

Hasty, who has been with the Patriots since last season, has not received much of a role on the field. However, he has been good depth and is a quality No. 3 running back.

With that being said, there is a strong chance that he could end up leaving New England in free agency in pursuit of more playing time. There is also a chance that the Patriots would want to move on to another No. 3 running back option.

Cam Garrity of Patriots Wire has made a prediction about where Hasty will end up in free agency. He has the Detroit Lions swooping in to poach Hasty away on a one-year, $1.75 million contract.

"JaMycal Hasty joined the Patriots and beat out Kevin Harris for a roster spot, but he has struggled to make a significant impact," Garrity wrote. "With Antonio Gibson and Rhamondre Stevenson under contract, the Patriots are unlikely to retain Hasty, especially with them recently signing Terrell Jennings to a contract for next year. They will also have Kevin Harris likely returning for camp as well."

During the 2024 NFL season, Hasty saw a little bit of playing time. He carried the football 20 times for 69 yards. Hasty also caught 10 passes for 59 yards and a touchdown.

He is more than capable of playing a bigger role than that. Unfortunately, there are so many talented running backs around the NFL that it can be difficult to find a spot to get guaranteed meaningful time on the field.

At 28 years old, Hasty should be prioritizing finding a place where he has the best chance to play. With the Lions, he would be behind David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs on the depth chart, but they like to cycle players on and off the field to keep everyone fresh.

Would Detroit be the best landing spot for him from a playing time perspective? Probably not, but he would be joining a legitimate Super Bowl contender as well.

All of that being said, it will be interesting to see where Hasty ends up. He could end up returning to New England, but that doesn't seem like to be the most likely scenario at this point in time.