The New England Patriots' core receiver group has remained a question, with rumors circulating about the possible addition of a one-star receiver. However, on Wednesday, DeVante Parker's spot was solidified, with the 30-year-old receiver signing a three-year contract extension worth up to $33 million with $14 million in guarantees and per-game roster bonuses. 

It's a move that one former Patriots player has an interesting take on. 

"That is a loyalty contract for DeVante Parker," Ted Johnson said on 98.5′s “Zolak & Bertrand” show. "He wasn't saying anything about the coaching staff last year. I didn't hear any reports from behind the scenes that he had an issue."

"This to me is how Bill communicates with players," Johnson added. "If you're going to give DeVante Parker a new extension when he has steadily declined in production the last four years of his career… He's been loyal. He's kept his mouth shut. He was the opposite of what Kendrick Bourne has been and Jakobi Meyers, and so that's Bill's way of communicating in doing deals." 

The coaching controversy was clear last season, with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge seeming to have control of the offense. While Belichick never named an official play-caller, it was Patricia who seemed to have command and things did not go their way, as New England finished 8-9. 

And with that, the Patriots offense struggled, with Mac Jones showing a sharp decline from his strong rookie season. 

At the beginning of December, Bourne voiced his frustrations following the Patriots 24-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills 

“We just need to scheme up better,” Bourne said following the game against the Bills. “We need to know what they’re doing. We need to know what they want to do on third down, you know what I mean? We’re kind of sporadic. They call this and we call that and it falls into what they want. We need to have it where they’re falling into what we want. That’s not my job. It’s my job to just run the call."

Bourne was another player to have a worse second year with the Patriots. In 2021, he finished his first season in New England with 55 receptions for 800 yards and five touchdowns. Yet, in 2022, he finished with 35 receptions for 434 yards and just one touchdown. 

As for Parker, he joined the Patriots last season after seven years with the Miami Dolphins, and finished with 31 receptions for 539 yards and three touchdowns. 

While on paper, the two might seem similar, Johnson claims that this is "Bill's way of communicating in doing deals."

"This sends a message to everybody, this is how you're supposed to behave. Keep your mouth shut. You do your job, you'll get rewarded," Johnson said. 

With Parker's new deal, this has brought into question the rumors regarding DeAndre Hopkins. However, Johnson addressed these, making his opinion known. 

"It should not prohibit you from going out and getting DeAndre Hopkins," Johnson said about Parker's contract. "(Hopkins) is more of an intermediate to shallow kind of wide receiver where in this offense, it looks like DeVante Parker is used more down the field."

And if the Patriots were to add Hopkins, it could mean the end of Bourne's time in Foxborough, with the Patriots able to free up over $5.4 million if they were to trade or cut the receiver. 

So the question that remains is who will play alongside Parker this season? 

Patriots Devante Parker has even more reason to have dominant season

A lot of money left to earn.

Featured Image via Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports