NFL insider believes top receiver could be available for Patriots to trade for
Although the seemingly immediate pursuit of desirable top-name receivers might not be in the cards for the Patriots, a handful of players might be traded before the season begins or before the trade deadline later this year.
That creates an opportunity for the Patriots to elevate their offense in what has been a historically weaker part of the roster. They made their efforts known to do that this offseason by heavily pursuing Calvin Ridley and Brandon Aiyuk, with the latter coming to an in recent weeks due to the receiver's lack of interest despite the impeccable deal on the table.
Because both Jerod Mayo and Eilot Wolf have made it known they plan to continue looking at all their options to improve the roster, it's possible they will be active before the trade deadline, which might be an even busier time than usual.
One insider, in particular, has already proclaimed one desirable receiver to be available if his current team doesn't thrive early this upcoming season. If that's the case, the Patriots have a new target.
Raiders' possible slow start could make Davante Adams available for the Patriots to trade for
There has been much chatter regarding Davante Adams' future in Las Vegas over the past year, primarily due to his known unhappiness with the team's trajectory. We saw it firsthand on Netflix's series Receiver, as Adams was one of the players demanding quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo be benched last year.
That, coupled with the return of his former quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the Jets lineup this season, has led to rumblings that the Raiders might be interested in trading the 31-year-old, which could become the case if their season begins poorly this fall.
According to The 33rd Team's Ari Meirov, Las Vegas might be open for business if things aren't looking good by the trade deadline. Because of his contract, Adams could be the primary trade bait, meaning the Patriots could finally acquire a clear WR1 by midseason.
It wouldn't be cheap to acquire Adams, but the Patriots have offered a lot to acquire other receivers of his caliber, so that shouldn't be an issue. The main concern would surround Adams' age, which differs from the team's pursuit of Aiyuk and Ridley.
While Adams is a talented player and would immediately improve the Patriots' receiving corps, he will be 32 near the end of the year, which makes him slightly less desirable than 26-year-old Aiyuk and 27-year-old Ridley.
But at the same time, New England will run into an issue regarding top-name receivers next year, as most signed extensions this offseason and won't be available in free agency or via trade. So they might have to acquire a player like Adams instead. And it might serve them better to add him to their roster rather than allow the Jets to get a trade done because reuniting him and Rodgers would be disastrous for the AFC East.