Even though the first waves of free agency are over, there could still be a ton of movement and the Patriots can jump on some of that. I think so far the Patriots have done a fine job at trying to improve their roster. Bringing in guys like Mike Gesicki, James Robinson, and JuJu Smith-Schuster are quality moves to make the offense better.
Re-signing Jonathan Jones and bringing back Jalen Mills are also more quality moves to keep the defense in tact. However, the roster itself is still in need of some elite talent, and the Pats could make some major trades to infuse the roster with the much needed talent to compete in the AFC.
So, what are three major trades the Patriots can still make?
Three major trades the Patriots can still make during offseason
Sending a 2023 third round pick for WR DeAndre Hopkins
DeAndre Hopkins should be moved by the Arizona Cardinals this offseason. They are clearly rebuilding and have massive holes all across the roster. Hopkins surely does not want to remain with a franchise that may be years away from competing again.
My guess is that Hopkins will end up going for a third round pick. A WR in a similar situation, Brandin Cooks, went for a fifth and a sixth, so I could definitely see a scenario where Hopkins could go for less than a third, but this is my guess for now.
Three major trades the Patriots can still make during offseason
Sending a 2023 fourth round pick for LT Jonah Williams
The Cincinnati Bengals signed Orlando Brown Jr for a reason, and it wasn’t because Jonah Williams was elite in 2022. However, Williams is a former first round pick and does have quite a bit of talent.
The Pats might have a vacancy at their left tackle spot if they decided to move Trent Brown back to the right side, which is where I think he should go. Williams almost immediately requested a trade when the Bengals signed Brown, and I don’t think Cincy has much leverage at all here.
Williams clearly does not want to play right tackle and they gave Orlando Brown a $30 million signing bonus, so Williams is clearly out the door for them.
A fourth round pick gets it done, in my opinion, and sliding Williams in at left tackle and moving Trent Brown back to right tackle does allow the Pats to not have to take an OL in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft if they don’t have someone they like in that spot.
The Pats did sign tackles Calvin Anderson and Riley Reiff in free agency this year. Both are spot starters, and acquiring Williams would give New England a very solid stable of tackles.
Three major trades the Patriots can still make during offseason
Signing Lamar Jackson to an offer sheet and sending the two first round picks to the Ravens
Technically this is a trade, right? Lamar Jackson is free to negotiate with other teams and can sign offer sheets from other teams that are presented to him. Apparently, Jackson wants to move on from the Baltimore Ravens.
"As one source explained it, the person has said that Jackson does not want a fully-guaranteed contract. Some regard this as a possible exercise in semantics, with Jackson still wanting a very significant amount fully guaranteed — up to $200 million or more — with one more more non-guaranteed years on the back end. Another source said that the representative is telling other teams that Lamar is ready to move on from the Ravens."
This, from Mike Florio, indicates that Jackson is done with Baltimore and is ready for a fresh start. Well, the Patriots have both cap space and two first round picks in 2023 and 2024 to be able to make this trade happen. What am I missing here? Why can’t they make this trade?