FOXBORO — Patriots wide receiver K.J. Osborn gave a non-committal answer this week when asked if he wants to be traded from New England amid what he described as a frustrating start to the season.
Speaking on Osborn’s future Friday, Jerod Mayo was similarly non-committal.
Asked if Osborn has requested a trade, Mayo said he’s had conversations with all of the Patriots players. He then added: “What I would say is (Osborn)’s on the team now, and we look forward to him playing on Sunday.”
Approached by reporters Wednesday, Osborn first described the question about whether he wanted to be traded as an “alley-oop,” before giving a fuller answer.
“This is where I am,” he said. “This is the place I signed to be. A lot of things are out of my control, but I would like to be where my feet are. So today I’m here, so now I’ll rock with it as it goes.”
After last weekend’s loss to Jacksonville, Osborn shared an Instagram post from a friend of his who revealed a text exchange the two had after the game. In the text messages, the friend, who is also an agent, wrote, among other things that, “I’m with you while we figure out this situation and every other…”
This season, Osborn has gone from a Week 1 starter to seeing zero snaps two games ago against Houston. Osborn confirmed this week he expected to be inactive last Sunday versus the Jaguars until the staff told him he was going to play at 11 p.m. the night before. Osborn only took the field once DeMario Douglas was forced to sit with food poisoning.
Douglas is among the young receivers who have seen more playing time than Osborn, as the Patriots emphasize player development in the first year of a full-on rebuild.
“It’s extremely difficult. It’s frustrating,” Osborn said Wednesday of playing for a rebuilding team. “A lot of stuff is not in my control. No matter the performance or anything like that. The organization is going to do what’s best for them. And for us. So that’s something I can’t control.”
Patriots wide receivers coach Tyler Hughes added his two cents Friday morning in a group interview with reporters.
“I think K.J. is a great professional. I’ve really enjoyed working with him,” Hughes said. “I think he has a really good (process). He’s good in our (position) room. He provides good insight to the guys, you know, like, ‘Hey, here’s how I would have ran this.’ In discussion, he’s positive in that regard. I think he’s just like all the guys, I think he’s working through each day.”
The Patriots signed Osborn to a 1-year, $4 million contract this offseason. Over his three previous years in Minnesota, he averaged more than 52 catches and 615 yards per season. This year, he has seven catches for 57 yards and a touchdown.