7:06pm: It’s a one-year deal for Washington, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter).
4:04pm: The Patriots officially announced the deal.
3:43pm: The Patriots are signing veteran free agent receiver Nate Washington, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Terms of the agreement between Washington and the Pats aren’t yet known.
Washington, 32, had been one of the more intriguing wideouts still available on the free agent market. While he doesn’t necessarily have the big-name appeal of players like Roddy White, Andre Johnson, or Marques Colston, Washington hasn’t seen his production fall off in recent years, and continues to perform well as a complementary target.
In 2015, his first and only season as a Texan, Washington played in 14 games, grabbing 47 balls for 658 yards and four touchdowns. As Mike Reiss of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter), spending a season in Bill O’Brien‘s offense in Houston will likely help Washington make the transition to the Pats, O’Brien’s old team. Reiss adds that the veteran worked out for New England last week.
The Patriots have been active this month adding pass catchers for Tom Brady. In addition to striking a deal with Washington, the team has also signed wideout Chris Hogan and traded for tight end Martellus Bennett. With Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, and others already on the roster, it’s looking increasingly like there may not be room for Amendola and his $6.8MM+ cap charge, though that’s just my speculation.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Just a consistently solid player who has done well with some less-than-ideal QB situations in Tennessee. If they do end up letting Amendola go, Hogan-Washington looks like a better combination on paper than LaFell-Amendola.
Consistent? Solid? Question: Did you watch any Texans’ game last year? Washington was the complete opposite of those two adjectives. He was horrible last season. Near dropped more passes than he caught. Collapsed in clutch situations. Was a good veteran presence, but he did more bad than good.
Trust me, Washington should not be on an NFL team.
Brady will have a lot more weapons this coming season, and if he performs to the level he did last year, the Patriots will repeat as a serious threat.
The Pats have been trying to fill this downfield receiver position for years. Its recent anonymity fits Washington, who’s enjoyed a quality competent yet mostly anonymous career. If New England was getting 2011 Nate Washington instead of the soon-to-be-33 version, I’d be more bullish on this signing. Hard to see him factoring in too heavily at this juncture.