The New England Patriots are more desperate for quality wide receivers in this free agency than they were for quarterbacks when Tom Brady left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in 2019. And current signal-caller Mac Jones seems to be secretly hunting the best of them down for himself. And he may have found a completely different platform to do this.
Going into his third year as a starter, Mac Jones seems to have a secret wish list for the top available free wideout agents in the open market, including Odell Beckham Jr. And the Alabama QB has already checked multiple names off his list.
Mac Jones leading the top recruiter list
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
A picture of Mac Jones’ secret wish list went viral on the internet recently. And no, it wasn’t a page out of his diary. It was a list of NFL free agent wide receivers he follows on Instagram. Within the last week, three out of the five names have already arrived at Bill Belichick’s service.
Super Bowl LVII champion Juju Smith-Schuster arrived from Kansas City yesterday. Also, arriving on a two-year deal is free agent running back James Robinson. The third name to have already been crossed off was Denver Broncos offensive tackle Calvin Anderson, who arrived in Foxborough, also on a two-year deal.
#Patriots QB Mac Jones seems to be recruiting on IG:
So far 3 of these players have signed with New England
👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/EMzBnoRNqP
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) March 16, 2023
Seeing his actions for the OT and wide receiver hunting, Mac Jones is hell-bent on building the best scoring system and pass protection around him.
The two remaining ones on the wish list
Mac surely waited till the end for the best of the lot. Also featuring on his wish list are former Super Bowl LVI champion and coveted free agent wide receivers, Odell Beckham Jr., and Arizona Cardinals’ DeAndre Hopkins.
Odell is coming back after 13 months without on-field action after tearing his ACL in the Super Bowl game against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, the Patriots scouts were present at his recent 13-day workout at Arizona State.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Can’t lie it feels good to be where im at but even better to kno I got 5 months to get where I wanna be. This shxt ain’t easy and goin thru these is just taxing in every way. I just couldn’t let myself give up or go out like tht! I still got some to do.. let’s get it pic.twitter.com/awBE1ZgJHI
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) March 15, 2023
31-year-old DeAndre Hopkins also remains a prime wideout candidate after the departure of Jakobi Meyers. Hopkins missed a few games last season with his knee injury after suffering from his hamstring and torn ACL the year before. However, in the nine games he played in the 2022-23 season, he recorded a whopping 714 receiving yards and 64 receptions, putting on three touchdowns.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
WATCH THIS STORY: NFL star’s wife takes aim at team’s coach for trading husband right after wedding
Apart from Mac Jones’ wish list candidates, 23-year-old Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy is also nearing a move to New England. And despite not being on the visible portion of the IG following screenshot, Jones still seems to be the one pulling the strings, having played with Jeudy at Alabama before. Looks like Belichick wants to waste no time to get back to his winning ways. And Mac is surely proving handy.