Grade the Trade: Patriots swap star of secondary for WR1 in latest proposal

The idea of the Patriots trading for a star receiver this offseason continues despite their lack of effort in doing so in free agency and the draft.

They seemed to nearly definitively respond to rumors regarding their interest in doing so by selecting two receivers in this year's draft, but because neither is necessarily considered the caliber of player to be a WR1, the trade proposals continue to be nonstop just weeks before training camp.

Over the past few months, New England has been connected to a handful of players looking for contract extensions from their current team, mainly those of Brandon Aiyuk, Tee Higgins, and most recently, CeeDee Lamb, which is where we find ourselves in one of the most recent trade proposals involving the team.

In most of the hypothetical trades up to this point, the Patriots have sent a variety of draft picks and offensive players to acquire the receiver the team needs. However, Tony Catalina from Pro Football Network's latest proposal involves shipping a star of the defense to Cincinnati for Aiyuk instead.

Patriots swap star of the secondary for Brandon Aiyuk in latest proposal

If the idea is to boost the offense without sacrificing the talent they already believe they have, then sending a defensive star would certainly solve the problem. That was the scenario in another trade proposal recently when the Patriots sent Matthew Judon to the Falcons for future draft picks.

But that's all they got in return, which seems far from worth ridding yourself of your most productive defensive player.

In this proposal by Catalina, he has the Patriots sending safety Jabrill Peppers, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2025 sixth-rounder to the 49ers in exchange for Aiyuk and a 2025 seventh-round pick.

Moving on from Peppers wouldn't sting nearly as much as seeing Judon leave the team, but it would certainly leave a void in the Patriots secondary.

Peppers has been an impressive addition to the defense since he signed with the team in 2022. He has consistently been the most aggressive player on the field and has produced some of the best stats of his career during the last two seasons.

It would be tough for the Patriots to determine if adding Aiyuk to the team would be worth seeing Peppers play elsewhere, which might become easier if Eliot Wolf doesn't intend to sign him beyond the 2024 season. If that's the case, it would be an easy yes for the new regime.

If they want to build a young and competitive offense, Aiyuk fits the bill. He's only 26 years old and has proven he can be productive no matter who is at quarterback, even a rookie. That would hold a lot of weight in New England with the addition of Drake Maye, which might ultimately put the deal over the top if this proposal were ever to become a reality.

Grade: B

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