Is Brandon LaFell's time in New England finished?
After missing the first six weeks of the season due to a stint on the PUP list, LaFell came back against the New York Jets and promptly dropped five (or six, depending on who jotted down the stat) balls of the eight thrown his way, and he never truly got on track the rest of the way. He only had two standout games on the year - 102 yards on five catches against the Redskins, 88 yards on four catches against the Titans - but that was about it.
LaFell slipped all the way to fourth on depth chart, and his season ended yesterday when he played just 33 of the 83 total offensive snaps in the most important game of the season, and he didn't even see a single ball thrown his way from QB Tom Brady. His disappearance has cast his future with the team in doubt, and the team will have a decision to make on his $3.675 million cap hit in the coming weeks as they aim to retool a roster that fell short of Super Bowl 50 by three points.
Again, it's extremely disappointing that LaFell wasn't able to give the team much of anything in the final weeks of the year, especially when injuries to Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Rob Gronkowski decimated the offense. Last postseason, LaFell caught 13 balls for 119 yards and two touchdowns - the game-winner against the Ravens in the Divisional Round and the opening score of the Super Bowl against Seattle. When you consider that the Title Game against the Colts was a walkover, you couldn't ask for better production from a No. 3 receiver in a three-game stretch.
If the Pats choose to cut LaFell and move on from his services, they'll save $2.675 million on the cap. Is that worth more than keeping him around and hoping for a bounce back campaign in 2016?
Photo Credit: Boston Herald
