Patriots: 3 players who should be traded to clear even more cap space

Even the cap-rich Patriots could use a little more relief.

Being the innovative organization that they are, the New England Patriots pinched their pennies more drastically than usual last offseason so that they’d be one of a few teams in position to take advantage of the inevitable pandemic-induced salary cap crunch.

Anyone who considers that a diabolical approach is justified in doing so, but what can’t be denied is that it worked.

After all, the Patriots are currently projected to have the fourth-most cap space in the league at $68.66 million, which should give them more than enough leeway to make at least a handful of impactful additions.

The main objective of the front office should be getting the Patriots back into the playoffs by any means necessary and that could result in some foundational pieces getting unloaded in the name of preserving even more cap space — such moves could prove to be the difference maker in trying to fend off another team for a free agent’s signature.

That got us thinking. Given the current state of the roster, who could the Patriots consider trading to give them as much financial flexibility as humanly possible ahead of their most important offseason in several years? Here are three names to keep in mind as we inch closer to the start of the new league year.

The Patriots should trade these three players to create more cap space.

3. Devin McCourty

Don’t look now, but the Patriots could part ways with both McCourty twins this offseason when all is said and done. Not only do we consider Devin as a potential trade chip, but Jason is set to hit free agency after his contract expired.

That certainly wouldn’t be an ideal scenario, as the McCourtys are leaders in the locker room and pillars as far as carrying out the team’s culture is concerned. However, the betterment of the Patriots always comes first, and assuming the front office still operates with that mindset, they would seriously consider trading the two-time Pro Bowler before his value vanishes entirely.

It might be the end of the road for Devin McCourty in a Patriots uniform.

McCourty has provided stability at the back end of the Patriots’ secondary for over a decade, but they can afford to deal him with Patrick Chung getting set to re-enter the fold after he opted out of last season. On top of that, 2020 second-rounder Kyle Dugger enjoyed a promising rookie year and veteran Adrian Phillips is fresh off starting all 16 games at safety.

With the safety position in good hands, the financial aspect of trading McCourty should really make it a no-brainer, as it would free up approximately $2.5 million in cap space. Getting the former first-round pick’s $11.15 million cap hit, which ranks third on the team, off the books would give New England even more leverage in free agent negotiations.

Fans would obviously hate to see McCourty go, and trading him would be a barbarous way for his Patriots tenure to end, but a veteran of his stature and awareness has to at least have it in the back of his mind that it could become a reality.