It’s easy to forget that Chad Ochocinco had a stint with the Patriots, but he did—toward the end of his career, after a decade with the Bengals. Unfortunately, his time in New England was anything but memorable.
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While he has often praised the team’s culture and Bill Belichick’s leadership, that season marked the worst of his career, and things only went downhill from there. He recently reflected on that challenging chapter during the latest episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show.
Despite playing and catching a pass in the Super Bowl, Chad doesn’t think highly of his time in New England. It’s because he knew his timing of arrival there wasn’t optimum. He was at a point in his career where he needed more time to get settled and get acquainted with the offense.
“I understood where I was at that time in my career. Obviously, me getting to the Patriots somewhat kind of late, not being able to get that maturation and chemistry together with Brady.”
Ocho arrived so late that he couldn’t get on the same wavelength as Tom Brady. The Patriots expected more out of him and so did he. He needed the offseason training camps which he couldn’t get and then found himself down the pecking order. He believes his lack of compatibility wasn’t down to the system or his failure to learn the playbook but lack of time.
“I really wanted training camp, I really needed a minicamp. I just wasn’t able to hit the ground running like I expected to be playing with the QB of that magnitude.”
Chad pointed out that his limitations couldn’t allow him to replicate the likes of Randy Moss who hit the ground running in his very first season. But how did Chad Ochocinco perform for the Patriots as compared to his time with the Bengals?
Ocho’s time with the Patriots was underwhelming
The Pats gave up a fifth-round pick in 2012 and a sixth-round pick in 2013 for Ocho to the Bengals and was on a three-year $6.35 million.
In his single season with the Patriots, Ocho played all 16 games but started only three, catching merely 15 passes for 276 yards and just one TD. He missed the AFC Championship game but did play in the Super Bowl against the Giants, catching a single pass for 21 yards. They released him after a single season and he didn’t play in the NFL again.
Chad had two underwhelming spells in Canada and Mexico but that doesn’t take away from what he achieved playing for the Bengals. He played in Cincinnati when the franchise lacked competitiveness. In his 10 seasons, he had nearly 11k yards and 66 TDs, earning three All-Pro selections and went to 6 Pro Bowls.
Ocho recorded seven 1,000-yard seasons, proving to be one of the most reliable and underrated receivers of the mid-2000s. While his numbers may not be enough for the Hall of Fame, they earned him a well-deserved spot in the Bengals Ring of Honor.
Remarkably, he achieved all of this without obsessing over his diet—fueling himself with McDonald’s. Beyond the stats, he left a lasting legacy as a tough competitor, shifty on the field and thrifty off it.
