There were plenty of teams willing to overpay in the wide receiver market this offseason, but would it surprise anyone if the best pass catcher out of that 2016 class cost just $12 million over three years with $7.5 million guaranteed?
Chris Hogan has always been a grinder, and now that he's firmly nestled in New England -- grinder heaven -- his star might be about to rise.
"For me, I'm an undrafted guy, so every single year was a battle. Every single year I was on the block -- could be cut, could be released. That's kind of how I approached it," Hogan recently told The Providence Journal. "I never took anything for granted. Every single day was an opportunity for me to be on the field, if I was starting, playing or not playing, every single day I came out here ready to work."
By all accounts, Hogan was the star of New England's offseason workouts. He is a shoo-in to start alongside Danny Amendola and will almost certainly top his best numbers in Buffalo, 41 catches, 426 yards and four touchdowns. With Julian Edelman on the mend, Hogan got a head start working with both Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo as well.
It's difficult to project roles for Patriots wide receivers, or anyone on offense. At one point in time, we all assumed that Amendola would slide in for the departed Wes Welker and stack one 110-catch season atop another. We also assumed that LeGarrette Blount could be a 1,000-yard type back before Dion Lewis crept back into our lives from nowhere.
This one, though, seems like a much safer bet. Hogan was mercifully underrated and under-used in Buffalo and his marriage into Tom Brady's offense seemed like just a matter of time.
