The trade rumors are here again! Who can the Patriots acquire?
It really doesn’t come as a surprise that the New England Patriots are linked with seemingly every dissatisfied wide receiver under the sun. After all, they have serious question marks behind No. 1 option Julian Edelman and could really prove to benefit from providing quarterback Cam Newton with another established veteran.
On top of that, the Patriots currently have the fourth-most salary cap space in the NFL at $28 million, so they could legitimately trade for any receiver on an expiring contract and subsequently hand him a lucrative extension without breaking a sweat.
Well, to the surprise of zero fans in New England (we hope that’s the case), Odell Beckham Jr. was linked to the Patriots for the third consecutive year this week following the Browns’ disastrous performance in Week 1 against Baltimore, in which he managed just 22 yards on three receptions.
During that three-year span, there have been numerous instances where it’s felt like Beckham was on the verge of being dealt to the Patriots. However, all of them flamed out without much of any reported progress being made in negotiations. For those wondering, that is precisely why we are numb to the rumors that link him to New England.
Bill Belichick has a zero tolerance policy for petulant antics and history suggests that OBJ wouldn’t be able to adopt the “Patriot Way” well, if at all. With that in mind, here are three wide receivers who the 68-year-old general manager actually has a chance of acquiring via trade.
3. Curtis Samuel
The Panthers were reportedly shopping WR Curtis Samuel this past offseason.
During the 2020 NFL Draft, insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Carolina Panthers were receiving consistent calls on the availability of wideout Curtis Samuel, and we see no reason as to why that will change ahead of this season’s trade deadline.
The Panther signed Robby Anderson to a two-year, $20 million contract back in April, and it’s clear they value him highly as he was heavily involved in Week 1, tallying six receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown.
Those numbers led the team, whereas Samuel finished with just 38 yards on five receptions. He did log eight targets, but it doesn’t take a football savant to tell you that he could end up being the fourth option in Carolina’s passing game — behind Anderson, DJ Moore and Christian McCaffrey.
This could coerce the Panthers into shopping him at the 2020 deadline, and New England would be smart to get them on the phone. Though Samuel has yet to realize his full potential, anyone who’s watched him play can see how much talent he has. While working with an unideal quarterback situation last season, he registered 54 receptions (on 105 targets) for 627 yards and seven touchdowns, all of which were career-highs.
And he’s played with Newton before!
The Patriots are desperate for speed on the perimeter and Samuel, a former second-round pick back in 2017, would make an instant impact for them. The 24-year-old’s trade value might even drop in the coming months if he isn’t made a focal part of Carolina’s aerial attack, so his name is definitely one to watch.
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.
1. Allen Robinson
Former Pro Bowl WR Allen Robinson clearly isn’t happy in Chicago.
We’re not entirely sure why Chicago hasn’t offered Allen Robinson, who’s contract expires at the end of the season, an extension. He’s clearly the team’s most talented wide receiver, and the lack of negotiations prompted him to remove all tracings of the Bears organization from his social media accounts this week.
Those actions hinted that a trade was evident, but Robinson has since come out and asserted that he expects to be with Chicago for the remainder of the campaign. Whether that happens, however, is entirely up for debate and the Patriots should swoop in and look to strike a deal for him while tensions are high.
The 2015 Pro Bowler is one of the most gifted wideouts in the league, and last season proved that as he recorded 98 receptions for 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns. Those are remarkable numbers when you consider he’s working with Mitchell Trubisky, who might not even keep his job when all is said and done.
A move to New England makes so much sense for both sides. Robinson would finally garner national recognition for the player he really is and the Patriots would make a significant upgrade at WR. They can’t rely on Julian Edelman to defy Father Time forever.
Send a mid-round pick to Chicago and give Robinson an extension with all the available cap space, and that’ll get the Pats cookin’.