Both the New England Patriots and the Jacksonville Jaguars are exploring a trade for Baltimore Ravens tight end Hayden Hurst, according to Eugene Frenette of The Florida Times-Union.
Frenette notes that the Jaguars wanted to draft Hurst back in 2018 and that Hurst told him a couple of months ago that he wanted an opportunity to catch more passes.
Hurst is coming off of a 2019 campaign in which he played every game, but caught just 30 passes for 349 yards and a pair of touchdowns because he was sharing the tight end position with both Mark Andrews and Nick Boyle, who logged 64 and 31 catches, respectively.
The 26-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of South Carolina, was originally selected by the Ravens in the first round (25th pick overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft.
He appeared in 12 contests during his rookie year, finishing with 13 grabs for 163 yards and a score.
The Patriots and Jaguars are both in desperate need of a tight end.
New England found out the hard way just how important Rob Gronkowski was to the club this past season, as Matt LaCosse and Ben Watson, the two fellow tight ends the Pats acquired last offseason to try and replace Gronkowski, combined for a meager 30 receptions in 2019.
Meanwhile, James O'Shaugnessy led all Jacksonville tight ends with just 14 catches this past year in spite of playing in only five games due to injury.
There will be multiple tight ends available on the free-agent market, but Hurst could represent a cheaper option in terms of salary for clubs like the Pats and the Jags.
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