Pro Bowl WR Didn’t Even Consider Patriots

Before the New England Patriots added Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins in free agency, there was a thought that they could potentially make a big splash with a major wide receiver trade.

Of course, nothing came to fruition, and the Patriots were forced to settle. The biggest name New England fans were hoping for was D.K. Metcalf, who was ultimately dealt from the Seattle Seahawks to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But you can rest easy, Pats fans. The team never had a realistic shot of landing Metcalf.

Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll — who coached Metcalf in Seattle — recently appeared on Marshawn Lynch's podcast and revealed that he tried to bring Metcalf to the Raiders, and apparently the two-time Pro Bowl receiver had been interested in joining Las Vegas.

You know what we didn't hear about, though? Any interest from Metcalf in playing for the Patriots. In fact, over the winter, the 27-year-old even said that he didn't want to live in Foxborough, so clearly, he wasn't just blowing smoke.

Metcalf is one of the most gifted athletes in all of football, so he would have certainly represented one heck of an addition for Drake Maye. But obviously, he had no intention of signing a long-term deal with New England, which is why the Pats passed on him.

Instead, the Patriots bagged Diggs and Hollins and also selected Kyle Williams in the NFL Draft. Not only that, but they added a very intriguing undrafted rookie in Efton Chism III, so New England is pretty crowded at wide receiver right about now.

Are they as good as Metcalf? No, but perhaps the Pats' receiving corps will actually represent something of a force in 2025 so long as Diggs recovers well from his torn ACL and Williams enjoys a strong rookie campaign.