Patriots Rumors: New England still open to trading Malcolm Butler

Recent Patriots rumors have emerged about the Patriots possibly not being done when it comes to making trades before the NFL trade deadline.

After trading Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick, recent Patriots rumors are that they aren’t done quite yet. With the trade deadline being on Halloween, this presents teams with their last chances to improve for the rest of the season.

New England has historically been active during this time and so far, that has continued. The trading of Garoppolo is an indication that the Patriots are willing to move forward with Tom Brady for the next few seasons.

If there was any doubt about Brady’s ability to play for the next few seasons, the Patriots would not have traded Garoppolo. Even though the Patriots might not have received the first round pick they could have if they traded Garoppolo during the draft, the second round pick that they received from the 49ers has value.

According to Jason La Confora, the Patriots might be using this pick before tomorrow’s deadline.

Seeing that the Patriots still might trade Malcolm Butler shouldn’t come as too much surprise, but pairing him with the pick would be interesting. As we just saw with the Garoppolo trade, a second-round pick can get you an awful lot at the trade deadline.

The Patriots are figured to want to improve their defensive line before the deadline. If they are willing to move both Butler and this pick, they would likely be getting a really good player in return.

Next: Team grades vs. Chargers

Since the loss of Dont’a Hightower for the season, the Patriots certainly have a need on the edge to help replace his pass-rushing abilities. With the trade deadline closing in, it will be interesting to see what the Patriots decide to do. Since they have a 6-2 record at the midway point, they still certainly are a Super Bowl contender. Now, we will have to wait and see if they make a big splash.