A lot of the talk over the past several weeks in New England has surrounded the chance of the Patriots getting involved in the Terry McLaurin sweepstakes after the wide receiver demanded a trade out of Washington. He is reportedly on their radar, and that became an even more prominent story over the past week, as the teams prepared to face off in their preseason opener.
Unfortunately, McLaurin was not present for their joint practice on Thursday, so no sneaky conversations could have been had, or harmless ones that were then blown out of proportion.
However, that doesn't mean the Patriots are out on trading for McLaurin. In fact, things have reportedly gotten even worse between the receiver and the Commanders, as NFL insider Jeremy Fowler stated earlier this week.
Perhaps a good performance against his current team could spark more of an interest in McLaurin to consider the Patriots as a possible trade destination.
A trade for Terry McLaurin is still possible for the Patriots and could be on their mind during their preseason game
The efforts by the 29-year-old to convince his team to offer him the extension that he not only wants but deserves have fallen flat so far. He has followed the blueprint left by many receivers before him, but the Commanders have not been willing to bite at any point just yet.
Rumors have suggested that they don't believe he's worth the contract he's hoping for due to his age. But he's not getting any younger, and the longer they drag out the process, the more frustrated McLaurin will inevitably become, which could result in his unwillingness to negotiate further.
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If that's what the inevitable future looks like, the Patriots could easily be in the market to add him to their roster. He would be a massive boost to their offensive outlook under Drake Maye, as McLaurin would help lead a receiving corps with Stefon Diggs and DeMario Douglas.
On top of that, rookie Kyle Williams has impressed during training camp as well, along with some unexpected names like Kayshon Boutte and Javon Baker. Adding McLaurin into the mix would easily make them have one of the best wide receiver rooms in the league.
The Patriots might be able to convince the disgruntled receiver that they are the place to consider being traded to because of their performance against his current team. Not only that, but the building promise around the team and their future under the guidance of Mike Vrabel is also more enticing than what the Patriots were last year, and could become a factor in McLaurin's decision.
As we know, pulling off this level of trade wouldn't be cheap, but McLaurin is easily worth it and would instantly boost the Patriots' chances of success in the immediate future and the long run. That's what makes their performance on Friday night all the more important, so hopefully, they can accomplish that.