The Patriots are one of the very few teams that still have a healthy amount of cap space to utilize the rest of the offseason to put their roster over the top, if they so choose.

One way to accomplish that is by pulling off a blockbuster trade for a superstar player, which the new regime has not ruled out over the last few months.

There had been a lot of speculation that they could attempt that for a game-changing wide receiver, mostly before the signing of Stefon Diggs, but with the way the landscape looks right now, it seemed more likely a massive trade for a defensive player, like Bengals’ pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, seemed more plausible.

Although he hasn’t been directly connected to New England since airing his grievances with Cincinnati over a lack of contract extension talks, he has been on the radar as a potential trade target given the defense’s need for a solidified pass rusher.

However, the latest prediction for how those contract conversations might turn out is bad news for the Patriots’ chances to get a deal done and will ultimately force them to look elsewhere if they desire to add a dominant force to the defensive line before the season begins.

Latest prediction has the Patriots missing out on a trade for Trey Hendrickson

At this point in the NFL offseason, there is a lot of speculation regarding how the summer months will unfold for all 32 teams, which includes standoffs with players over contract extensions, such as the one with Hendrickson.

Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated believes that’s one contract dispute that will eventually come to an end because Hendrickson will cave and accept the reported offer the Bengals have extended to him, despite it not being what he’s looking for.

“The alternative is to become Haason Reddick, which, for a player entering his age-31 season, cannot be appetizing. By taking the Bengals’ reported current offer, Hendrickson can upgrade his salary by nearly $12 million and, while still being underpaid, improve upon his prospects for next offseason more by staying in Cincinnati than he could as a year-to-year mercenary for less on another roster.”

While that’s great news for the Bengals, even if they don’t seem to want to pay their players their worth and are essentially forcing them to take low salaries because of it, it’s not favorable for the Patriots if they might have been interested in a big-time trade.

It would be a costly move, but it would guarantee they’ve a dominant player on the defensive line who cannot only produce during a game but also serve as a solid mentor for the young defense they’ve assembled.

Instead, they’ll have to hone in on the talent they’ve added through free agency and the draft and hope they can get them to the level they need to be in 2025 and beyond.