Patriots prepare to make an aggressive all-in move to retake the AFC East Division

Washington Commanders v New England Patriots - NFL Preseason 2025
Washington Commanders v New England Patriots - NFL Preseason 2025 | Billie Weiss/GettyImages

If you were hoping to hear that the Patriots are seriously considering getting involved in the trade market before the 2025 season begins, then you will be happy to hear that Eliot Wolf admitted just that while speaking to reporters before Monday's practice.

Because they continue to have the most cap space available and some top-name players continue to hold out with their current teams over contract disputes, there's a good chance the Patriots could land a top-name player for a price they're willing to spend. It won't be cheap, as the trade itself would be costly, but so will an extension for any of the three top names.

Although Wolf didn't name-drop those they might be looking at, the most prominent being DE Trey Hendrickson, WR Terry McLaurin, and DE Micah Parsons, he did reveal that they are open to any and all conversations with the 31 other teams, essentially not shutting down any possibilities before the season begins.

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He might not have been specific, but there's reason to believe any of those three players could (and should) be on New England's radar for multiple reasons. They could immediately make them viable contenders for the division title, or, at the very least, increase their chances of owning a wild card spot by season's end.

The Patriots could skyrocket their chances at the AFC East title with a big time trade

Going into the offseason, even with the arrival of Mike Vrabel, there wasn't much suggestion that the Patriots were going to be a playoff contender as soon as this fall. There was certainly belief in Drake Maye going into his second season and that the new regime would build a competent team around him, but improvement has been the focus for expectations, not making a Super Bowl run.

However, with the amount of cap space they still have to spend and the upgrades they've already made to the roster, it doesn't feel far off to suggest that the Patriots could make a run for a wild-card spot come December, even if that might be thinking too optimistically at this point in the preseason.

Yet, at the same time, the idea of adding a player like Hendrickson or Parsons to the defense or McLaurin to the offense feels like a postseason push isn't out of the question. Either pass rusher would immediately make the defense have one of the best defensive lines in the NFL, while adding the receiver to a room that already consists of Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, and Kyle Williams would really put them over the top.

If anything, it would make the Patriots serious contenders going into the 2026 season and put the reigning division champions, the Bills, on notice right away.

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