Patriots sign wide receiver Kawaan Baker to futures contract

Kawaan Baker entered the NFL in the seventh round of the 2021 draft.

The New England Patriots have added to the wide receiver room in February.

The organization announced the signing of free agent Kawaan Baker on Tuesday, marking the ninth futures contract since the offseason began.

Baker, 25, landed with the New Orleans Saints in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL draft. The South Alabama product, whose Sun Belt career spanned 1,829 receiving yards, 376 rushing yards, 543 return yards and 27 total touchdowns, cleared waivers at the end of his rookie training camp. Two elevations from the practice squad followed.

Those elevations brought one solo tackle through 27 snaps on special teams for Baker, who has not made an appearance beyond the preseason since then.

After serving a six-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, Baker was waived by New Orleans in the fall of 2022. He logged subsequent stops on the practice squads of the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles before returning to the club that had filled out his draft card at No. 255 overall.

The Saints waived the 6-foot-1, 215-pound target at the 53-man roster deadline last August.

In January, New England retained running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn, wide receiver T.J. Luther, offensive tackle Andrew Stueber, defensive tackle Trysten Hill, defensive end William Bradley-King, linebacker Joe Giles-Harris and cornerback Azizi Hearn for 2024. Veteran guard Michael Jordan later arrived on a futures pact after being released from Green Bay’s practice squad.