Stanley Morgan arrived from Tennessee as a 25th-overall pick in 1977, looking more like a running back who could fly than a pure receiver, yet the Patriots quickly realized the “Stanley Steamer” belonged on the outside. In an offense that rarely featured multiple skill threats, he became the one player defenses had to account for on every snap. The speed was obvious from the start—he could separate deep and finish plays after the catch—but the route running improved quickly enough that he also threatened intermediate areas.

After a modest rookie season that produced 21 catches for 443 yards, the production jumped in 1978. Morgan averaged 24.1 yards per reception that year while also handling significant return duties. In 1979, he caught 44 passes for 1,002 yards and a league-leading 12 touchdowns, earning his first Pro Bowl. The next two seasons followed the same pattern: 45 catches for 991 yards and six scores in 1980, then 44 for 1,029 and six more in 1981. Across those three years, he led the NFL in yards per catch each time. Defenses that tried to play him one-on-one usually paid for it; the combination of deep speed and the ability to track the ball made single coverage a liability.

The mid-1980s brought more volume. In 1983, he caught 58 passes for 863 yards, and in 1985 he helped the team reach Super Bowl XX with another solid season: 39 catches for 760 yards and five scores. The 1986 campaign produced his best statistical year: 84 receptions for a then-franchise-record 1,491 yards and 10 touchdowns. That performance earned another Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro recognition. He added one more Pro Bowl in 1987 after catching 40 passes for 672 yards in a shortened season. Throughout those years, Morgan remained the clear primary target in an offense that lacked other reliable downfield threats; his ability to win on vertical routes and still produce after the catch gave the Patriots a consistent explosive element they otherwise struggled to find.

After the 1989 season, Morgan left the Patriots and finished his career in Indianapolis. His thirteen seasons in New England ended there. With the Patriots, he finished with 10,352 receiving yards and 67 touchdowns, plus another 989 return yards. The franchise still lists him as its all-time leader in receiving yards, and his 19.2 yards-per-catch average ranks among the highest in NFL history for players with more than 500 receptions. He posted those numbers while serving as one of the few true skill weapons the team had for most of his tenure. Morgan was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2007.