Chris Hogan to Patriots: Latest Contract Details, Reaction

Wide receiver Chris Hogan will join the New England Patriots after the Buffalo Bills denied their right of first refusal after Hogan signed an offer sheet with the Patriots on Friday, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The Patriots later confirmed the signing.

Rapoport first reported that the offer sheet was worth $12 million over three years with a significant amount of guaranteed money. ESPN.com's Mike Reiss confirmed the report. 

Buffalo has the second-least cap space in the NFL at $4.498 million, according to Spotrac.com, which made it unlikely that the Bills would keep Hogan in the fold, per Rapoport.

The 27-year-old wideout has spent the past four seasons with the Bills (he was on the practice squad in 2012), and he has been somewhat productive as a slot receiver over the last two.

Hogan made 36 catches for a career-high 450 yards and two touchdowns last season after registering 41 grabs for 426 yards and four scores in 2014.

He earned the nickname "7-Eleven" on the hit HBO show Hard Knocks in 2012 during his time in Miami Dolphins training camp due to his propensity for always being open.

That quality helped make him a solid target within Buffalo's offense, and when asked about his NFL future in February, he was seemingly excited to continue his stint with the Bills, according to Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News. 

"Maybe I relaxed a bit the year before when I thought I had a good year and proved myself a little bit," Hogan said. "But I'm back to that old 'underdog, me-against-the-world' mentality. And I'm excited to get back next season, hopefully, to Buffalo."

Hogan may well have landed his contract with the Patriots thanks in large part to his performance against them during a Monday Night Football loss in November. He caught six passes for 95 yards in that game as New England struggled to slow him down.

He is primarily a slot receiver like Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, but at 6'1" and 220 pounds, he is also capable of playing outside, which is something the Pats desperately need.

Quarterback Tom Brady didn't have a reliable, down-the-field threat at his disposal in 2015, and while Hogan hasn't necessarily proved himself in that regard, he may have the skill set needed to fill that role.

New England will also hurt a divisional rival in the process, as the Bills are left with some major question marks in their receiving corps aside from No. 1 target Sammy Watkins.

The Pats are paying for potential more so than production when it comes to Hogan, but based on how receiver-friendly New England's scheme tends to be, he is in line to land in a great situation that could lead to career-best numbers.

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