BREAKING: Patriots Trade Kicker Nick Folk at Roster Deadline

The New England Patriots are trading reliable kicker Nick Folk after selecting Chad Ryland with their fourth-round pick in last April's NFL Draft.

The New England Patriots have tough decisions ahead of the Tuesday's NFL roster deadline, as all 32 teams will cut to the 53-man limit. We wondered … Could one of those choices be the trading of veteran kicker Nick Folk?

Answer? Yes, indeed. The Patriots are in the process of trading Nick Folk to the Titans, NFL Network notes. New England will receive a 2025 7th-round pick for Folk.

After the Patriots selected Chad Ryland out of Maryland with their fourth-round pick in last April's NFL Draft, many assumed it signaled the end for Folk in Foxboro. We will assume this is about trading a late-round draft pick to New England for Folk.

The cutdown to 53 is ultimately a numbers game, and the Patriots can't keep two kickers. With that in mind, the 38-year-old Folk will be the odd man out despite hitting 32-of-37 field goals last season. 

While trading Folk in favor of the rookie Ryland could be considered a risk, getting a late-round pick in exchange for the veteran seems to be much better than releasing him.

“We had two kickers last year on the roster for one game [last season],” coach Belichick said recently. “Again, there’s a number of things to consider when you look at the whole roster makeup. We’ll get into those this weekend and do what we feel is best for the team.”