NFL Free Agency: Could the Patriots Try To Steal Santonio Holmes from the Jets?

The one thing that you need to know about Santonio Holmes is that speed kills. 

The New England Patriots are in need a game-changing wide receiver that can consistently be a big-play threat, not just a deep-play threat, and Holmes could be the perfect fit.

Holmes, who spent last season with the New York Jets, sat out four games due to a suspension but managed to produce impressive numbers nonetheless, as he snagged 52 balls for 746 yards while scoring six touchdowns.

As the NFL lockout nears its end, with the two sides just agreeing to a rookie salary cap, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk expects that Holmes will be a highly pursued player once free agency begins. 

There is no doubt the Jets will try to hold on to Holmes, as he was an integral part of their offense last season, but many teams will try to steal him away from Mark Sanchez and the Jets.

The Patriots could certainly use Holmes, but would he be worth the risk and the potential headache? Absolutely not. 

New England needs to stay away from Holmes at all costs; however, they still could raise the price on Holmes and potentially turn him away from the Jets, assuming the Jets will back out once negotiations reach a point that New York's front office can no longer offer the amount of money requested.

Don't get me wrong—Holmes would be amazing lining up along with Wes Welker and Deion Branch, and not to mention that Tom Brady would definitely be able to utilize Holmes' blazing speed, but personal issues are the major downfall to the former Steeler's incredible talent. 

Holmes has been in many legal incidents over the years, whether it's issues with marijuana, allegations to assaulting a woman at a nightclub or just having no common sense on his Twitter account—Holmes simply does not fit the Patriots blueprint. 

If Bill Belichick and New England's front office were to seriously pursue Holmes, then they'd be essentially selling their souls to the devil, as Holmes appears to be completely against the "Patriot way."

New England could still be competitive without a big-play wide receiver, but while it could certainly use one, Holmes should not be an option. 

There are plenty of all talented receivers that do not come along with as much personal baggage that Holmes does.

When it comes to Holmes, buyer beware. His talent is off the charts, but the head on his shoulders is quite possibly off its axis as well.

For more articles like this, check out my blog at PatriotsPlus.net. Be sure to follow Tony Santorsa on Twitter @TonySantorsa.