The New England Patriots made several trades this offseason. They opened by sending Garrett Bradbury to the Bears and Marte Mapu to the Texans in exchange for late-round draft picks. They continued their roster reconstruction by adding A.J. Brown on June 1, a day many fans had been anxiously waiting for.
Later in the summer, the team traded away Caedan Wallace and Kayshon Boutte before adding Corey Kiner and Walter Rouse ahead of making their final roster cuts.
The Patriots could make more trades during the regular season if they feel they need to strengthen their squad ahead of a hopeful Super Bowl push, but no trade would involve a certain Raiders tight end.
Michael Mayer, a second-round selection from Notre Dame in 2023, has long been linked to the Patriots as a potential trade target because of his connection with Josh McDaniels and Hunter Henry's age, coupled with the emergence of Brock Bowers as one of the league's best at the position over the last few seasons.
On Saturday, the day before the Raiders' NFL season began, the team inked Mayer to a three-year, $45 million deal, officially tying his future to the Raiders until 2030.
The Patriots miss out on Michael Mayer following his recent extension
The Patriots scored a measly 10 points on Wednesday, and with A.J. Brown set to miss time, their offensive output shouldn't be expected to explode in the coming weeks.
Admittedly, adding Mayer is unlikely to transform the offense. In three seasons with the Raiders, he's totaled 83 catches for 788 yards and a trio of touchdowns. Playing second fiddle to Bowers makes him less of a priority, but even in his rookie season in 2023, he managed just 304 yards.
Fellow 2023 second-round pick Sam Laporta had more catches, yards, and touchdowns in his rookie season than Mayer has in his career thus far.
While one of the league's better backups, Mayer hasn't been worth the 35th pick he was selected with thus far. With Bowers missing the first few weeks of the season, he has the chance to make a name for himself, but Week 1 wasn't an inspiring start. Despite making six catches, he gained just 32 yards against the Dolphins.
Michael Mayer unlikely to have moved the needle for the Patriots
Realistically, Mayer wasn't a player who would have made much impact this season. Before his extension, Mayer was in the final year of his rookie deal, so any trade the Patriots made for him would effectively be a rental unless they were willing to shell out the $15 million the Raiders paid for a backup tight end.
New England currently rosters four tight ends: Hunter Henry, Eli Raridon, Cam Latu, and Tanner Arkin. Henry was recently extended for less than Mayer was, despite a career year in 2025, and Raridon was selected in the third round in April. Latu and Arkin are likely to be special teamers for the season, barring a string of injuries.
Extending the unproven Mayer beyond Henry doesn't make much sense for the Patriots, especially given that Raridon is the team's developmental piece. After a Week 1 touchdown, the future looks bright for the 95th pick.
Furthermore, the team was excited about Julian Hill's future before he landed on IR for the year. Hill is an excellent blocker, and if it weren't for a knee injury that Mike Vrabel described as "devastating," he'd be the TE2 this year. Since he signed a three-year deal, though, he's expected to be a key piece in the room next year.
Missing out on Mayer may disappoint some fans, given rumors that the ex-Notre Dame star could be traded to New England. Nonetheless, he wasn't likely to help the Patriots' return to the Super Bowl.
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