Within the AFC East, the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots are at the top of the division and will be battling it out for years to come. From 2020-2024, the Bills had control until the Patriots won it from last season. The Patriots had a near two decade dynasty going on and it was basically a battle for second place between the Bills, Dolphins, and Jets.
That changed once Tom Brady left in 2020, and that opened up the door for the Bills to win the division for the next five consecutive seasons until 2025 came, where the Patriots took it back.
New England didn’t just win the division, they made it to the Super Bowl with Drake Maye on a rookie contract. The Bills have been knocking at the Super Bowl door but have failed every single season. Now, they have to worry about the Patriots once again who have the chance to maximize Drake Maye’s talent on a rookie deal before they have to pay him market value.
While the Patriots have not had the major free agency splash that they had last offseason, they still have the resources to make more moves and add to their roster.
Free agent WR being listed as perfect fit for Patriots has Bills fans concerned
Gary Davenport from Bleacher Report recently listed free agent wide receiver Deebo Samuel as a perfect free agent signing for the Patriots, which would add another element to the Patriots’ offense that could give the Bills some trouble twice a year.
"Deebo Samuel's best days are likely behind him. He isn't going to surpass 1,400 receiving yards or score 14 touchdowns in a season the way he did during his All-Pro 2021 year with the San Francisco 49ers. But the 30-year-old managed almost 800 total yards and scored six touchdowns with the Washington Commanders in 2025, and he would offer New England an underneath target who excels after the catch for Drake Maye and a movable chess piece for offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels." said Davenport.
Samuel is certainly past his prime but he can still do some damage in short-yardage situations. With New England lacking proven wide receiver talent with the releasing of Stefon Diggs, adding Samuel couldn’t hurt them. He can be lined up out wide or in the backfield.
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is a very creative playcaller and Bills fans know the damage that he can do. Then having someone like Samuel in their offense would cause the Bills to have to do a little bit of game planning for Samuel, in addition to stopping Maye and their rushing attack.
Again, Samuel isn’t the most valuable player that he once was, but the Bills potentially having to face him twice a year is something that they shouldn’t want to do.