The New England Patriots’ roster has flaws, as evidenced by their 24-3 loss to the New York Jets on Thursday night.
Could they try to get better in those areas by looking to the NFL trade deadline?
ESPN’s Dan Graziano published a story on Friday describing possible trade prospects at each position and which teams would be interested in them, even though the deadline isn’t until November 5. Surprisingly, the Patriots who are 1-2 are heavily represented in the “suitors” group.
Three players are mentioned in Graziano’s column who are connected to the Patriots:
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson
Graziano: “The Pats were aware of the Brandon Aiyuk talks back when they were happening, and the offensive skill positions are exceptionally thin.” It could make sense to go for Johnson and sign him to a long-term contract if New England’s defense can hold things together.”
Johnson was a productive wide receiver for the Steelers, amassing nearly 4,400 yards in five seasons, including a 2021 season with 1,161 yards. Since then, though, his numbers have declined with each season, and drops are a problem for the 28-year-old, who in 2023 collected just 58.6% of his targets. But in a weak New England receiving room, he would still be the best choice.
Indianapolis Colts LB E.J. Speed
Graziano said, “They just put Ja’Whaun Bentley on injured reserve (torn pec), so this makes sense.”
Speed is coming off a career season in which he had 102 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, four pass breakups, and three forced fumbles. The Patriots do need a replacement for Bentley. But for this to make sense—especially if Jerod Mayo’s team misses the playoffs—New England would need to extend him before the end of the current campaign.
Devin White, LB, Eagles of Philadelphia
Though he acknowledged that the Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders “also make sense,” Graziano ranked the Buffalo Bills as his favorite choice for White’s new team.
In addition to being named to the Pro Bowl (2021) and Second Team All-Pro (2020), White also assisted the Tampa Bay Bucs in their 2020 Super Bowl victory. He’s only making $4 million on a one-year deal this season, so he would be a compelling buy-low option, though it’s quite likely that White would rather play in Buffalo than go to New England.
With Thursday’s outcome, it’s difficult to envision the Patriots as “buyers” at the trade deadline; however, according to OverTheCap, they should have the most salary space in the NFL the next season, so they might make a long-term move by acquiring a coveted target and offering them a multi-year agreement.
Cornerback Jonathan Jones is a player to keep an eye on if New England bottoms out and decides to sell; in fact, Graziano notes that “teams were circling” the nine-year veteran this past summer.
The 1-2 Patriots will take the next ten days off before playing the 49ers in Week 4 in San Francisco.
When Jerod Mayo was selected by Robert Kraft to be the next Patriots coach
After the Patriots parted ways with Bill Belichick, New England appeared to have a swift plan that didn’t include a protracted interview process—which was the plan.
Prior to the Patriots’ 24-3 loss to the New York Jets on Thursday, Taylor Rooks conducted an interview with owner Robert Kraft for the Amazon Prime broadcast. Kraft disclosed the length of time he had a Belichick succession plan.
Belichick told Rooks, “Jerod learned a lot from Bill in the tactical background,” according to Amazon Prime. “However, they’re all unique individuals. Over the past 15 years, I’ve gotten to know Jerod, and I selected him five years ago to be our next head coach. He’s truly unique, and it’s fantastic that he was able to receive instruction from Bill.”
It appeared that Kraft was referring to Mayo’s leadership abilities and a 2019 team trip to Israel, where he saw the assistant who had then returned to the team, Mayo.
Although Kraft’s timing may be contested, Mayo’s contract purportedly guaranteed him the succession to Belichick. Although there were rumors of friction between Kraft and Belichick, it was an intriguing method to circumvent the NFL’s Rooney Rule. Kraft appeared to exploit the five-year sentence to ensure a smooth succession plan.
