The Patriots might have more luck trading JuJu Smith-Schuster than initially thought

With training camp finally underway, it's time for the new regime in New England to get a good look at the offensive roster and determine the best moves to make before the start of the regular season. They are in a unique situation, given their history, with a long list of receivers currently signed to the team and will need to narrow it down sooner rather than later.

There are a few names who are expected to be roster locks, like Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas, and rookies Javon Baker and Ja'Lynn Polk, but several others are considered on the bubble and in need of a standout summer to secure a spot on the team.

One of the players at the front of that line is JuJu Smith-Schuster, who has had a roller-coaster tenure since signing with the Patriots last offseason. Bill Belichick's decision to sign him instead of retaining Jakobi Meyers was controversial, to say the least, and that decision has since been named one of the worst in recent memory.

Smith-Schuster's struggles during the 2023 season led to him ending the year on injured reserve, and he now hopes to integrate into the offense to become a full-fledged member of the team moving forward.

Like some of his teammates, he will need to impress throughout training camp and preseason, but that doesn't mean he will no longer be subjected to trade proposals over the next several weeks, which has become commonplace during the offseason.

Although the assumption is that teams won't be interested in acquiring him due to his contract and lack of production last year, one NFL writer insists there will be multiple trade partners for the Patriots if they choose to go that route.

Projected interest for JuJu Smith-Schuster might be too good for the Patriots to pass up

In a recent piece by Cory Woodruff discussing ten trade candidates after Brandon Aiyuk requested a trade, he includes Smith-Schuster as one of two players for the Patriots. But what made his take more interesting was the assertion that three teams could be interested in making the trade, all of which are projected to be Super Bowl contenders.

"Smith-Schuster was a 2023 Bill Belichick free agent signing that didn’t ultimately pan out for the Patriots last season, which makes him a possible cut or trade candidate for New England. He’s been a fairly prolific receiver throughout his career and won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs to close the 2022-23 season.

"The Chiefs bringing him back for a late draft pick would make a lot of sense, but other contending teams might also have some interest in helping Smith-Schuster back on track after a down season in New England (260 yards and a touchdown in 11 games). New England would save more than $7-and-a-half million with a trade this summer, too.

Possible teams: Chiefs, Eagles, (Cincinnati Bengals)."

It is unclear whether these teams would be willing to give up draft capital for a player with a questionable season ahead, but if the Bengals, Chiefs, or Eagles showed any interest, there's more reason for the Patriots to make a deal than keep Smith-Schuster on the roster.

By trading the receiver, they'd save $7.65 million in cap space and only take on $2.6 million in dead cap. Given their needs for offensive and defensive line depth as well as the secondary, adding more money to their already hefty cap would be a great move this late in the summer.

It will be interesting to see if Smith-Schuster is less than impressive during training camp and if that leads to teams calling about his availability. It's another storyline to monitor as the Patriots progress through summer practices.

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