Patriots Insider Pounds The Table For This Playmaking Free Agent WR

Last season, recently hired head coach Mike Vrabel came in with a bang when he signed former All-Pro receiver Stefon Diggs to a three-year deal. Diggs overperformed in year one, posting a 1,000-yard season on the New England Patriots Super Bowl run. But his limitations were exposed during an unimpressive playoff run. Next season, that paycheck triples as he is slated to make north of $26 million.

He became a fan-favorite in his one season in Foxboro, but that kind of deal is just not feasible for a team that needs to resign the best cornerback in football and sure up their pass rush.

Enter Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce. Pierce quietly recorded the first 1,000-yard season of his career last year with Daniel Jones, Philip Rivers and more slinging the rock.

The 25-year-old is due for a massive payday after the Colts let his rookie contract expire, and NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry wants the Patriots to be the one to foot the bill.

“Upgrade your weapons for Drake Maye, and I’m starting with one name in particular: Alec Pierce, who’s one of the most efficient deep threats in football,” Perry wrote. “Pair him with a young quarterback who loves to throw the football down the field. He would be your X receiver for the foreseeable future.”

I am in full agreement with Perry on this one. The 6-foot-3 playmaker is known for his physicality, which is exactly the kind of personality Vrabel has brought in. He is the type of player who will get his nose dirty in the run game, and he has strong hands over the middle of the defense.

Pierce is a more athletic Mack Hollins, and putting those two on the field with a pair of tight ends is as attractive a personnel pairing as offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels could ask for.

“You still have Kayshon Boutte, who can do some of those same types of things, although he’s typically an X. So, maybe this would mean less work for him if they were to sign Alec Pierce,” Perry wrote. “But between Hollins, Pierce, Boutte, (DeMario) Douglas, Williams, that to me is a group that has speed and some explosive playmaking ability that pairs nicely with your explosive playmaking quarterback.”