Now that the New England Patriots have their quarterback of the future in Drake Maye and their head coach in Mike Vrabel, it’s time to build out the rest of the core.
Reinforcing the offensive line will surely be a top priority, but the Patriots still need to get their young quarterback a couple of more weapons to work with.
Boasting the fourth overall pick gives the Patriots a chance to address this area in the 2025 NFL Draft, but the Patriots may solve their receiver needs with a trade instead.
New England Patriots’ potential receiver trade targets emerge
The New England Patriots are flush with salary cap space with over $100 million to spend, but it doesn’t all have to happen in free agency.
The Patriots could prefer to sign veteran free agents but they’re limited only to the players without contracts.
Another solution could be to hit the trade market and target players who may not receive contract extensions or the raises they’re looking for from their current teams.
Of course, not every team has the luxury of having so much cap space as the Patriots do, which could give them the advantage during negotiations.
Yet, who could the Patriots find to trade for this offseason? Recently, The Athletic’s Chad Graff tossed out a trio of potential solutions that could all appeal to the Patriots.
“We’ll hopefully learn more about the Patriots’ plans this week, but I’d imagine attention now turns to the trade market as the team tries to improve at wide receiver. My guess is they’d prefer using the No. 4 pick on an offensive or defensive lineman, so they’d want to improve at receiver through free agency or trade. The problem is with Higgins off the board, the rest of the free-agent receiver class isn’t great, with the top names being Chris Godwin, Amari Cooper, and Stefon Diggs.
So, my early guess (with more reporting hopefully to come soon) is that the Pats will aggressively pursue a trade. That could be as ambitious as calling New Orleans about Chris Olave or Seattle about DK Metcalf. Or it might have to be settling for a deal with the Los Angles Rams for Cooper Kupp.”
The Athletic on New England Patriots’ WR plans
Would the Saints trade Olave, who was the 11th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft?
He’s one year away from when teams typically discuss long-term extensions with players on a rookie contract, so the Saints may not be ready to deal their top weapon.
Yet, a strong enough offer could spur action for the cap-strapped Saints.
Meanwhile, it’s time for the Seahawks to discuss an extension with DK Metcalf, but how much is he worth to a Seattle team that has seen Jaxon Smith-Njigba become the top option?
Then there’s former All-Pro receiver Cooper Kupp, who could be an ideal buy-low target that’s three years removed from a 1,900-yard season.
Trading for Kupp would cost the least amount of trade capital, but the Patriots may prefer to find someone younger than the former Super Bowl winner who turns 32 in June.
Still there are many options out there, now it’s just a matter of the Patriots finding the right fit.
