According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, the Patriots and WR Chris Hogan have had negotiations regarding a contract extension, but the two sides remain “a bit too far apart” right.
Howe says that the two parties are in the early stages of the process and it’s possible they could make some meaningful progress in the coming weeks, as talks are still ongoing.
Howe points out that this negotiation could be tricky, considering that the market for a No. 2 receiver has increased up to $8 million per year this past offseason. If the Patriots offered this kind of money to Hogan, it would exceed Julian Edelman’s value.
With this in mind, Howe mentions that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Patriots countered with something like, “if you want it, prove it without Edelman in September.”
Hogan, 29, wound up signing on with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent out of back in 2011. He had brief stints with the Giants and Dolphins before signing on with the Bills during the 2012 season.
Buffalo elected to bring Hogan back on exclusive rights deals for the next two years before the Patriots signed him away as a restricted free agent in 2016.
Hogan is currently in the final year of his three-year, $12 million contract and stands to make a base salary of $3 million for the 2018 season. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2019.
In 2017, Hogan appeared in nine games for the Patriots and caught 34 passes for 439 yards receiving and five touchdowns.
We’ll have more regarding Hogan and the Patriots as the news is available.
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