As the trade deadline nears on Tuesday at 4 p.m., there is a lot of speculation about what the Patriots might do to improve their 2024 roster, especially on offense. Plenty of rumors suggest they will be shipping some players out, with the most notable being K.J. Osborn, but there might be some options for them to bring in help as well.
The priorities would appear to be starting left and right tackles, as that continues to be one of the weakest parts of their offensive roster. The problem, of course, is that most teams are not going to be parting ways with a starting-caliber tackle. They are hard to come by, and once you find one, you don't want to move on from them unless you really have to.
Because that doesn't seem likely to happen in New England, they could pursue wide receiver talent, especially if they plan to ship one or two out.
Patriots fans and even analysts have already begun to mention a familiar name that would be a welcomed addition to this season's team.
How about a little homecoming reunion trade today, right a wrong of last year, give Drake a reliable veteran target who can teach the room the way to do it right. pic.twitter.com/fMUYCnO7vJ
— FitzyGFY 🍺 (brew checkmark) (@FitzyGFY) November 5, 2024
With the Raiders season not going nearly as planned, the belief is they will be buyers and sellers ahead of the deadline later today. If that is proven true, it's certainly possible they will be willing to part ways with Jakobi Meyers, a player Patriots fans feel Bill Belichick moved on from far too soon.
Meyers seemed to feel the same when his former head coach chose to sign JuJu Smith-Schuster to a nearly identical contract instead of offering him an extension, hence how his signing with the Raiders in 2023.
He was a proven contributor throughout his time in Foxboro, truly coming alive during the 2020 season working with Cam Newton. Meyers really thrived with Mac Jones in the seasons that followed and became the WR1 the Patriots had been desperately needing since Julian Edelman hung up his cleats in 2021.
That made it all the more confusing for Belichick to willingly let him walk in free agency and why fans would be thrilled to see him return to where it all started. Even former Patriot turned analyst Ted Johnson suggested it on NBC Sports Boston earlier this week.
What's the best way for the Patriots to help Drake Maye before Tuesday's trade deadline?@Teddyjradio makes the case for bringing back this former Patriots receiver... 🤔@PhilAPerry pic.twitter.com/hFx5bAWXy7
— Patriots Coverage on NBCS Boston (@NBCSPatriots) November 4, 2024
In theory, it sounds like a great move for the Patriots, as the asking price for Meyers would probably be reasonable. However, because Las Vegas already traded Davante Adams to the Jets earlier this season, they're more pinched on talent in their wide receiver room, making it seem a bit more unlikely they would be willing to move Meyers.
That could change if they are trying to accumulate as many draft picks as possible, especially since they are one of the top teams expected to want one of the best quarterbacks of the incoming 2025 class. In that case, the Patriots could get a deal done soon.