Patriots: 3 trades that could bring Russell Wilson to New England
1. Patriots send Joe Thuney, Shaq Mason, 2021 first-round pick and 2022 second-round pick to Seahawks
Another way the Patriots can separate themselves from the pack? Offer the Seahawks what they need most: offensive linemen. That’s been the biggest problem ever since Wilson’s been in Seattle, especially in recent years.
However, it’d be contingent on Joe Thuney being slapped with the franchise tag under the assumption he’d sign a long-term deal with the Seahawks.
So here, the Patriots would take an immediate short-term hit with the ability to address everything else in free agency or the draft. Here, the Seahawks immediately upgrade their line with Thuney and Shaq Mason (who is under contract through 2023), get another first-rounder in the deep 2021 draft, and acquire a second-rounder for 2022.
Thuney is one of the most versatile and durable offensive linemen in the entire NFL and would be worth every penny if he signs a hypothetical gigantic extension. As for Mason, he’s a rock solid right guard who’s fairly durable himself and signed to a team-friendly deal. So how can the Patriots cope with these losses?
Let’s face it — they weren’t signing Thuney to a huge deal anyway, so we can count him out. In that case, they can bring back David Andrews to start at center, slot in Michael Onwenu at Mason’s right guard position, and could maybe get lucky if Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater falls to the second round. Either that, or they can use some cap space to splurge on a guy like Brandon Scherff. Who knows!
There are a lot of possibilities here, but we don’t doubt that one of these offers could persuade Seattle, especially if they have a succession plan in mind once Wilson departs.
