For much of the 2025 offseason, the Patriots were connected to several trades for big-name players to put their roster over the top, but also because they were armed with the most cap space available in the league. That had them in several proposals for players like Trey Hendrickson and Micah Parsons, yet no move was made.
Because nearly all of the players who would be the best fits for the Patriots to trade for are now off the market, it presumably meant they were, too, especially since they don't have any real tradeable players of their own.
However, looking around the league and the amount of injuries that have already begun to pile up just in Week 2 has some analysts proposing new trades that include the Patriots, the latest of which might make sense given what New England is dealing with on the injury front, as well.
The Patriots might have the right trade offer for the 49ers to get help in George Kittle's absence
With a few injuries to monitor on the defense, there's good reason to believe Mike Vrabel and Co. could be looking at adding some more help to that part of the roster.
If that's the case, they could engage in trade talks, as suggested by Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report, by sending veteran tight end Austin Hooper to the 49ers. The 49ers have just announced that Pro Bowler George Kittle will be placed on injured reserve and will miss several weeks after suffering a hamstring injury.
In return, the Patriots would add some more depth to their defensive line by receiving DL Yetur Gross-Matos in the trade, which could help with the absence of Keion White, for however long that might be.
The 27-year-old is in his second season with the 49ers and is coming off a year in which he recorded 19 combined tackles, six for a loss, seven quarterback hits, and four sacks in 11 games. It might not be the most impressive stat line, but it's not far off from what White totaled during the 2024 season through six more games.
That means Gross-Matos could provide more production than the current Patriots veteran, who might be dealing with the Foxboro flu after being ruled out of Sunday's contest against the Dolphins. This comes after an offseason where he saw his role diminish throughout the summer and seemingly needed to fight for his spot on the team.
At the same time, this trade would strip Drake Maye of an offensive weapon with which he certainly built chemistry throughout last year, which is not great. However, it is taking advantage of a hole in the 49ers' roster, and if they are willing to give up a player in return that the Patriots could use, it's a logical trade.
It's not often that a player-for-player deal is made in the NFL anymore, and if New England could get it done, then it's difficult to say they shouldn't do it, especially if they aren't too impressed with White's performance so far.