K.J. Osborn trusting Patriots’ plan at quarterback, ready to embrace the ‘grind’ of a rebuild

Osborn signed a one-year free agency deal with the Patriots last week.

K.J. Osborn is well aware that he did not sign on to a top Super Bowl contender when he inked a one-year contract with the New England Patriots in free agency.

But, he is ready to embrace the grind in order to help get the team back on track.

“Oh yeah, it’s going to be a grind,” Osborn told reporters on Wednesday. “Obviously, it wasn’t the best season last year. Obviously it starts with the top down. We got a great owner and a great head coach, and it starts with the quarterback position. And then everybody — all the guys around them — making that guy better, making that guy feel comfortable, offense, defense, special team.

“And we build. It doesn’t happen overnight. I know what I signed up for, it’s going to be a grind, man, and I want to be a person that helps this organization get back to where it needs to be.”

While Osborn was impressed by his first meeting with owner Robert Kraft and head coach Jerod Mayo, the quarterback that will be apart of the solution remains a mystery. The question mark that currently comes at the position was something Osborn evaluated before signing on with his new team.

“It definitely went into the decision,” he said. “I spoke to Coach Mayo and [Alex Van Pelt] and things like that for the plan going forward… But, I trust them that everything will take care of itself.”

After the Patriots trade of Mac Jones earlier this offseason, just Jacoby Brissett, Bailey Zappe, and Nathan Rourke reside on the depth chart. It’s also expected the team will use their third overall draft selection at the position, with the choice likely between UNC’s Drake Maye or LSU’s Jayden Daniels.

While Osborn is obviously comfortable with whatever decision New England’s brass will make, the receiver is ready to push and grow with whoever is under center on and off the field.

“I try to carry myself first class, I’m a man of faith and I try to make everybody better around me, whether that’s on the field or off the field,” said Osborn. “So just being myself man, whether that’s my role or not, I guess that’s what the Patriots are going to get, that’s who I am.

“Always just trying to elevate everyone else around me. I want the best out of myself. So, I expect my teammates to push me in that way and I’ll push them in that way and then we all come together and that’s how you win games and you build a good locker room.”