Source: Patriots reach new deal with WR Parker

Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots wide receiver DeVante Parker, who was entering the final year of his contract this season, has agreed to a new deal with the team through 2025, a league source confirmed Wednesday.

As part of the new three-year contract through 2025, Parker can earn up to $33 million if he achieves every per-game roster bonus and performance incentives that include All-Pro honors, according to a source.

A nine-year veteran, Parker totaled 31 receptions for 539 yards and three touchdowns last season in New England after being acquired from the Miami Dolphins in an offseason trade. He played in 13 games, with 11 starts, and played 51% of the offensive snaps.

The Patriots had inherited his old contract, which had two years remaining and called for Parker to earn a base salary of $5.7 million in 2023.

As part of the new contract, Parker’s base salary for 2023 is expected to come in lower than $5.7 million, according to a source familiar with the deal. But he will have an opportunity to match the $5.7 million if he hits all per-game roster bonuses and can exceed the $5.7 million if he reaches incentives for performance and honors.

The deal is expected to have a similar structure in 2024 and 2025, according to a source.

The 6-foot-3, 219-pound Parker was an effective perimeter option in his first season with the Patriots, and particularly showed up in 2023 spring practices on slant routes over the middle. He projects as a front-line contributor alongside free-agent signing JuJu Smith-Schuster, with seven-year veteran Kendrick Bourne and second-year speedster Tyquan Thornton also high on the depth chart.

The Patriots had hosted free-agent receiver DeAndre Hopkins on a visit earlier in June, and Parker’s deal doesn’t appear to be related to the team’s decision-making process on Hopkins.

NFL Network first reported the new contract.

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