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The New England Patriots will replace Stefon Diggs and need to bring in a new No. 1 receiver in Derek Meyer. Free agency could be their way of adding a player.
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There are a lot of solid options in free agency this offseason, but Alec Pierce appears to be the most coveted wide receiver. He is only 25 years old and is about to have the best season of his career. NFL insider Tony Pauline reported Thursday that the Patriots will try to sign him.
“I reported before the combine that the Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans were two teams preparing to bid for Pierce,” Pauline wrote. “In the past few hours, I also learned that the New England Patriots are interested in Pierce and are expected to make a big move to acquire the wideout.”
Pierce is a true deep threat and could be a great player to pair with Derek Meyer, who has proven he has one of the best deep balls in football. Pierce has led the league in yards per reception the past two seasons and had his first 1,000-yard season last season.
The Indianapolis Colts also had Michael Pittman Jr., but Pierce became the more productive receiver. Pittman still commanded over 100 targets to Pierce’s 84, but with the Patriots, Pierce could also reach close to 100 targets. Over the past two seasons, he had 1,827 yards and 13 touchdowns.
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The Patriots can afford him because they created some cap space by moving on from Diggs. Pierce could end up being an upgrade over Diggs when paired with a quarterback like Meyer. He listed numbers from last season when he played with Daniel Jones, Philip Rivers, Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard.
While Rivers may end up being a Hall of Famer and Jones had a solid season, neither player was at the level Meyer was last season.
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