Former Champion Thinks Patriots Should Make Shocking Trade
When the 2024 NFL season is over, the New England Patriots will have a clear path to improvement during the offseason. It is very clear where the Patriots need to add talent and where their focus needs to be.
At this point in time, New England specifically needs to focus on adding talent at wide receiver and on the offensive line. Both of those areas need attention during the offseason.
For the Patriots to take the next step in 2025, they need to bring in a legitimate No. 1 target for rookie quarterback Drake Maye. If they do look to get aggressive and find one, there are a few options available.
Tee Higgins is a name that has come up quite often when talking about potential free agency targets. However, there are also some trade market options that New England could consider.
Former Super Bowl champion and current WEEI analyst Jermaine Wiggins spoke out with a blockbuster trade that the Patriots should pursue. He thinks that Ja'Marr Chase would be a player worth pursuing by New England trade its first-round pick.
“If it was me, I would trade down,” Wiggins said. “Try to package up some picks and I would try to see how many picks I could put together and see if Cincinnati’s willing to move on from Ja’Marr Chase. That’s what I would be wanting to do if they’re not going to pay him.”
Chase and the Cincinnati Bengals have been unable to get a new lucrative contract extension locked in. If the opportunity presented itself, the Patriots should trade for him and give him the extension he's wanting without thinking twice.
During the 2024 NFL season thus far, Chase has played in 10 games. He has caught 66 passes for 981 yards and 10 touchdowns.
At just 24 years old, Chase would be exactly the kind of long-term target that could grow alongside Maye and help lead New England back to contention.
It would be a surprise to see the Bengals be willing to move on from Chase. However, if they choose that they don't want to invest the massive money that Chase is looking for on his next contract, they could be open to the idea for the right price.
Expect to hear a lot of rumors surrounding the Patriots in the offseason. They have a lot of money to spend and quite a bit of valuable draft capital to try and swing trades.
Chase would be a perfect trade target and would immediately take the team's offense to the next level if they could get a deal done for him.