Veteran wide receiver Eric Decker saw his time with the New England Patriots quickly end less than a month after he signed, announcing his retirement from the NFL over the weekend.
However, it appears his retirement was about more than his potential release, as Ian Rapoport of The NFL Network reported that the Patriots explored trading the 31-year-old. (h/t Tyler Sullivan of 247 Sports)
“Eric Decker, who there was some excitement around when he signed, but he struggled a little bit in camp, specifically with dropped passes which is something that plagued him last year in Tennessee as well,” Rapoport said. “From my understanding, Eric Decker, who really had a very, very solid career, was considered to be a long shot to make this roster.
“The Patriots had even discussed him, despite just signing him a couple weeks ago, in some potential trades.”
This shouldn't come as much of a surprise given that the team contemplated releasing Decker given his struggles in training camp, especially with creating separation from defenders. It made Decker more a liability in the Patriots' eyes.
Decker is coming off a lone season with the Tennessee Titans where he was still productive, recording 54 catches on 83 targets for 563 receiving yards and a touchdown while playing in all 16 games. While his numbers did decline, he did showcase that he was past the shoulder injury that limited him to just three games in the 2016 campaign with the New York Jets. However, it appears the injuries caught up to Decker physically, leading to him deciding to retire from the NFL after eight seasons.
His departure will force the Patriots to lean on Cordarrelle Patterson, Chris Hogan, and Phillip Dorsett to lead the wide receiver group with Julian Edelman serving a four-game suspension to begin the 2018 campaign.
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