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The Patriots are embarking into a new era and K.J. Osborn will be part of it. The free-agent wide receiver is reportedly signing to play for New England after plying his NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings from 2020 to 2023.
K.J. Osborn was selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft and has been a steady presence. But he has never been spectacular and nominations such as Pro Bowl honors and All-Pro selections have been out of his reach.
Therefore, the Patriots signing him has left fans feeling underwhelmed. After Bill Belichick was let go at the end of last season, supporters would have wanted some strong free-agency signings to show their intent to become competitive again.
They have let Mac Jones join the Jacksonville Jaguars and are expected to take a quarterback with their third overall pick. Bringing in a strong wide receiver would have given fans the confidence that their new starter would have the tools to helm a new and explosive offense.
With K.J. Osborn's signing, they feel as if their hopes have been dashed. They took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to vent their frustrations. The fans lamented how long it has been since the Patriots had a truly elite wide receiver. Here are some of the reactions on the platform.
K.J. Osborn can come off clutch for the Patriots
While fans might not be fully convinced of K.J. Osborn's abilities, there might be a reason why the Patriots have particularly chosen him. For years, during the Tom Brady era, they thrived with players who could come clutch at any moment. Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski were made in that mold.
While K.J. Osborn was consistently behind Justin Jefferson in the wide receiver pecking order, he could make important plays. One of his most famous ones came when the Vikings defeated the Colts 39-36, coming back from 33 points down. He had 10 receptions for 157 yards that game as he became the biggest outlet for Kirk Cousins on the night.
He will bring that clutch mentality to the team as they begin their rebuild around a new quarterback. With the depth in this year's draft around the wide receiver position, the Patriots can get a good player even in the second round after using their first pick on a quarterback. He will be a good teammate to learn from for whoever walks in through the door as a rookie.
