3 trades the Patriots should avoid as the trade deadline nears

Trading away Kendrick Bourne

Along with not trading for a receiver unless they're a game-changer, the Patriots should not even consider moving on from Kendrick Bourne this year.

Some may disagree because he is one of their more valuable players on the offense, and he's playing on the last year of his contract. But he's become an integral part of their offensive success this season, and if they want to continue that, trading Bourne would be a massive mistake.

Besides his absence creating a void they wouldn't be able to fill the rest of the year, the draft pick(s) they would receive in return for Bourne wouldn't be all that valuable. Most analysts have the Patriots trading him for a sixth and/or seventh-round selection, which makes the idea of the scenario even worse.

It's never a bad idea to pile up more draft picks, but when those selections are on day three of the draft, is it really worth getting the deal done, especially when that player's immediate absence will negatively impact your team?

Not to mention, re-signing Bourne next offseason will likely not cost much for the Patriots to do. Although he's been instrumental in many ways during his time in New England, he isn't going to garner a ton of interest from teams willing to pay him top dollar.

Because Belichick will have a lot of cash to play with next year, it makes more sense to re-sign him and build more of the offense around him and rising star Demario Douglas.