Three Patriots who could be shipped at the trade deadline in 2023
If the New England Patriots seem out of the playoff picture by the time the trade deadline rolls around, they may want to consider trading a few players. The Pats might be in a position to sell some of their players off in 2023 if the season is not going the way we hope.
If the team is clearly not a serious playoff team, it might do them some benefit to see which players could be tradeable. This could help equip them for a rebuild, and if a contending team comes calling for a player on the roster they may be willing to give up more since it's an urgent time.
The Pats do have a good roster; they have solid players at each position. This could greatly help them in 2023 as they hope to contend again, but it also may not matter if the team only has a small handful of wins when the trade deadline comes.
Let's take a look at some players the team could trade at the deadline.
Three Patriots who could be shipped at the trade deadline in 2023
Matt Judon, EDGE
Don't come at me, please, but Matt Judon might be the perfect trade piece for a team that might want to add a boost to make a playoff or Super Bowl run. He turns 31 in August, so this is not someone who is going to be a long-term fixture in New England.
The Pats saw the emergence of Josh Uche in 2022 and also took Keion White in the 2023 NFL Draft. If the Pats only have a few wins by the trade deadline and it's clear that they are not a playoff team, there might be a playoff caliber team who could give up perhaps as much as a second round pick for Judon's services.
He's had at least 12.5 sacks over the last two seasons and has shown an excellent ability to take down the QB during his time in New England. With two years left on his contract, Judon being traded makes a ton of sense.
Hunter Henry, TE
Hunter Henry had a nice 2021 season in New England but wasn't nearly as effective in 2022. Then again, the entire offense wasn't nearly as effective. Henry has one year left on the contract that he signed with the Patriots a couple of years ago. Trading him during 2023 would save the team $10.5 million against their cap.
The Pats also signed Mike Gesicki this offseason, so they do have another solid body in this unit. They might want to capitalize on their cap savings by trading Henry. They likely aren't going to re-sign him in free agency next year, so getting something like a 4th round pick might be something the team could do.
DeVante Parker, WR
I am very interested to see what happens with the wide receivers this offseason as we get closer to the start of the 2023 season. The team signed JuJu Smith-Schuster in free agency. They also drafted Kayshon Boutte in th 2023 NFL Draft, who I think can have a bigger role than people think.
DeVante Parker has one year left on his current contract and might be on the roster bubble. He is a quality pass catcher and surely provides veteran leadership. I'm not sure his teammates would have a bad thing to say about him.
However, he's an older player and not a long-term fixture for the team. The Pats could save a hair over $6 million if they traded him at some point during the 2023 season. They'd also see the same cap savings if they simply cut him this summer. The preference should be to get a late round draft pick for him if he is on the roster, right?
He could be a very logical trade piece for a team looking for a small offensive boost in 2023.
Other players who could be traded at the deadline in 2023: David Andrews, Mike Onwenu, Kendrick Bourne, Jabrill Peppers, Jalen Mills