Sometimes, the best trades are the ones you never make. With the NFL's trade deadline approaching, hot takes and rumors are spreading like wildfire as to what many contenders - including the New England Patriots - may or may not do.
The Patriots have already made two moves in shipping defensive end Keion White to San Francisco and safety Kyle Dugger to Pittsburgh for Day 3 draft picks, and a big whisper throughout NFL circles has them potentially bringing a former wide receiver back to Foxborough.
Jakobi Meyers, who started his career in New England before leaving for the Raiders in free agency, is a name to watch out for. Bleacher Report listed him going back to the Patriots in a trade as one of their pre-deadline bold predictions.
The Raiders are going nowhere, and Meyers is in a contract year, so the fact that he could be shopped to a contender like the Patriots makes sense. But the chemistry between Drake Maye and the team's current crop of pass-catchers is very high right now, so why mess with it?
Trading for another wide receiver may not be the best idea for the Patriots
Let's take a minute and analyze what New England has in its wide receiver room at the moment.
Stefon Diggs is healthy and is the reliable No. 1 receiver the Patriots haven't had since Julian Edelman. Kayshon Boutte's emergence as a deep threat has been exciting to watch, and his chemistry with Maye is off the charts. Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper are viable tight ends, and Mack Hollins and DeMario Douglas are reliable chain-movers.
Is Meyers a great player? Yes. Would the Patriots welcome back a player of his caliber? Yes. He has worked with Josh McDaniels before, so it's not like he wouldn't know the offense.
But he hasn't played with Maye or this group of pass-catchers. The Patriots' offense has been clicking well during the team's current five-game winning streak, so you could argue that a trade for another receiver wouldn't be the best idea.
Besides, you may have to trade or release someone else to find room for Myers on the roster. Addition by subtraction may not be the best idea for Mike Vrabel, Eliot Wolf, and company.
If there's any position the Patriots need to look at, it's ideally another edge rusher or another running back. The wide receiver room is fine.