Efton Chism III is a name that hasn’t received much national recognition, but that could all change once he gets an opportunity to prove himself on an NFL football field.
The New England Patriots reportedly outbid six other teams to sign the undrafted rookie out of Eastern Washington to a lucrative three-year rookie deal that included $235,000 in guaranteed base salary and a $25,000 signing bonus.
Chism broke former NFL All-Pro and Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp’s FCS receptions record last season by hauling in a catch in 53 straight games. He finished his run with the Eagles last season with 346 receptions for 3,852 yards and 37 touchdowns.
According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, six teams devoted one of their allotted top-30 visits to Chism. While the Patriots weren’t one of those teams, coach Mike Vrabel did reach out to him personally with a phone call. That effort from Vrabel combined with the opportunity to play under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was enough to sway Chism to pick New England.
Reiss wrote:
“One reason for the lucrative deal is that the Patriots found themselves in a competitive bidding battle with other teams, which sources familiar with the discussions say included the Broncos as coach Sean Payton made a strong pitch to woo Chism to Denver (one of Chism’s six predraft visits).”
The Patriots’ wide receivers room will be more competitive than it’s been in years with the arrival of Chism, Stefon Diggs, Kyle Williams and Mack Hollins. They will join the likes of Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte.
That could lead to a surprisingly shorter rope for second-year hopefuls Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. It will truly be a sink-or-swim situation at training camp this summer.
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