The New England Patriots are currently gearing up for year No. 2 without Tom Brady, who won a Super Bowl in his first year down in Florida.
With Brady and company getting set to start the 2021 season as the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Patriots are looking to turn things around in a hurry as New England notably missed out on the postseason altogether in 2020.
While there is no doubt that legendary Patriots head coach Bill Belichick made a point to improve his roster this offseason, it remains to be seen as to how much better New England is in 2021-22 as the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills could all very well compete at a high level.
Even with additions like former Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hunter Henry and former Tennessee Titans tight end Jonnu Smith, the Patriots are still lacking a bit in the pass catching department. Outside of the team's new tight end tandem of Henry and Smith, the Patriots are currently sporting Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne, N'Keal Harry and Marvin Hall at wide out.
With a division that's on the rise and a fairly deep AFC in general, that group just doesn't seem ready to get it done for a Patriots team looking to bounce back. However, there is a player on the open market that could help Belichick and company in more than a few ways as longtime Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald remains unsigned.
Of course, Fitzgerald is certainly not the player he once was, but he can provide positives for New England in so many different ways while surely coming relatively cheap at this point in his career. In addition to more than likely being open to a cheap, one-year deal, Fitzgerald can still catch a few passes alongside adding an invaluable locker room presence to a team that needs a major spark heading into 2021-22. A born leader and one of the most knowledgeable players out there at the moment, Fitzgerald could almost serve as a player-coach at this point in his professional playing career.
With former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton struggling mightily in his first year in New England, it would be hard to imagine that the former league MVP couldn't use a player like Fitzgerald in the locker room to take some of the pressure off. With Newton seemingly slated to eventually pave the way for soon-to-be rookie signal caller Mac Jones, who was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Alabama, who better to teach the up-and-coming quarterback than someone like Fitzgerald?
On the other hand, the Cardinals seem to have officially moved on from Fitzgerald as the team currently employs both Christian Kirk and DeAndre Hopkins in addition to newcomer and longtime Cincinnati Bengals pass catcher A.J. Green at the wide receiver position. While it remains to be seen as to whether Fitzgerald plays in 2021-22, New England wouldn't be the worst place to do it if not the desert.
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