New England Patriots Trade Deadline Deals: 'Fishing' For Draft Picks?
As the NFL's Trade Deadline is a mere days away, many are beginning to wonder what the New England Patriots will do. Many reports are starting to indicate that the Patriots are willing to listen to offers and become sellers.
“They’re gonna listen on, my understanding is, just about everybody,” Sports Illustrated's own Albert Breer said in a recent interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand.” “Now, that’s within reason. Like, they’re not going to trade Christian Gonzalez off IR. But they’re going to listen. And the more people I talked to last week, the more I got the idea that they’re going to be fishing around for, like, third- and fourth-round picks a little bit."
While the most recent 29-25 win over the Buffalo Bills gives fans hope of a historic turnaround to an otherwise disastrous season, only eight teams have made the playoffs after starting 2-5.
However, with the immediate future pointing towards a rebuild of some sort this coming offseason and the current contract situation where 21 players are set to be free agents in March, it'd make sense to throw the towel on this season.
Aug 25, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Josh Uche (55) tackles Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears (32) for a loss during the first half at Nissan Stadium.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Several of those players that are set to hit the open market by the season's end are key contributors for the Patriots, like edge rusher Josh Uche, safety Kyle Dugger, receiver Kendrick Bourne, left tackle Trent Brown, and even offensive guard Michael Onwenu.
While many fans would undoubtedly like to keep many of those players, the tough reality is that the Patriots won't be able to. This is where selling at the deadline makes sense, as it'd allow the Patriots to receive something in return.
“I think the one guy that’s come up the most as a potential guy that could get moved is Josh Uche, ...” Breer said about who could be traded. ”He’s valuable, and he has a premium skill, which is as a pass rusher.”
With the Patriots giving a pay raise to star edge rusher Matthew Judon before the start of the season, it increased the feeling that they wouldn't be willing to pay Uche after his breakout 11.5 sack campaign a year ago.
Now with the Patriots looking to be a longshot to make the postseason, the trade deadline could give them a potential out and allow them to recoup some value in exchange for losing the fourth-year edge rusher.
However, with the Patriots sitting three games under .500 and still having until Tuesday to make deals, Sunday's game versus the Miami Dolphins becomes all the more important. With a win, the Patriots could decide that at two games below equilibrium, it could be worth becoming "buyers." In contrast, a loss could further their resolve to start building for the future.
