After any NFL Draft, teams around the league circle back to the remaining unsigned free agents to see if any can fill the spots on their roster that are still weak. The Patriots are a team that should do that, even though they did address nearly every roster hole with their draft picks.
There's also room to look ahead to potential trades, and, as we know, the Patriots have been linked to a blockbuster deal for wide receiver AJ Brown, with the assumption that the Eagles will send him to Foxboro after June 1.
If that trade comes together, that's a massive win for New England. But they can improve their offense even more by looking into another trade that appears more probable than not after how the draft went down.
The Bears, for instance, might be looking to move on from one of their top tight ends, Cole Kmet. He has consistently been part of trade rumors this offseason, particularly after Colston Loveland was drafted last year.
Because the Patriots didn't take a tight end until the third round and there are questions about his injury history and how that will ultimately impact his production in the NFL, there's no reason for them not to inquire about Kmet's availability.
The most obvious trade for the Patriots to pull off, besides AJ Brown, is for Cole Kmet
Throughout the offseason, many writers at Bleacher Report, along with some chatter here and there from analysts and insiders, have listed Kmet as a potential trade candidate.
Although the Patriots have not been named as an ideal trade partner for the Bears, even in the latest piece by Kristopher Knox, they have a clear need at tight end that rookie Raridon might not fix, especially since Hunter Henry is presumably nearing the end of his career.
Kmet would be a solid choice to succeed him, as he is just 27 years old and experienced enough to serve as a good mentor for Raridon and lead the room in Henry's absence. On top of it all, he's been a consistent weapon for the Bears since he was drafted in 2020, but his 2025 season was noticeably different.
Part of that was due to the addition of Loveland, who has seemingly taken on the TE1 role, and if that is the plan moving forward, it appears Kmet has been ousted.
It would be a better plan for Chicago to trade Kmet for something in return and when he's most valuable, rather than not utilizing him much or eventually releasing him. The Patriots should be a team interested in getting a deal done to keep improving the offense around their franchise quarterback.
Maye has already shown he likes to lean on Henry when the time is right, or when another play doesn't come together, so prioritizing that group is a no-brainer for Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf. That lays the groundwork for a trade that gets Kmet to Gillette Stadium, and although it likely wouldn't be cheap, it sure seems worth it for the immediate and long-term future.
The idea of what the tight end room could look like with Henry and Kmet leading, and Raridon learning as the TE3, is almost too good to be true. But we know how much Josh McDaniels loves to use double-tight end sets, and this would be the perfect way to let him do that more.
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