Patriots: 3 receivers New England can realistically trade for

2. Marvin Jones

Don’t be surprised if the Lions look to trade WR Marvin Jones this season.

The Detroit Lions endured perhaps the most demoralizing loss in Week 1 as they were outscored 21-0 in the fourth quarter by Chicago en route to a 27-23 defeat. Granted, the game would have been won by Detroit had running back D’Andre Swift not dropped a wide open touchdown, but their defense is also to blame as it couldn’t stop a nosebleed in crunch time.

The bottom line is that the Lions could become sellers at the trade deadline if their season goes off the rails, and wideout Marvin Jones comes to mind as a potential expendable piece. For starters, the 30-year-old is in the final season of the five-year, $40 million contract he signed back in 2016. General manager Bob Quinn should look to cash in on him before he walks for nothing as a free agent. Furthermore, we just don’t see how Detroit looks to extend Jones with budding star Kenny Golladay due to be locked up next offseason following the final year of his rookie deal.

Jones has been a reliable source of production for the Lions after coming over from Cincinnati, posting 158 receptions for 2,388 yards and 23 touchdowns over the last three seasons, but his time with the organization appears to have run its course. Pro Football Focus even listed him as the mostly likely player on Detroit to be traded in 2020.

To put it simply, the former fifth-round pick would be a welcome addition to the Patriots. Not only does he fit the profile in terms of age, but he’s a damn good receiver.