The start of the legal tampering period is just hours away, and Patriots fans are hoping to see some big moves by the reigning AFC Champions after an unexpectedly good season. They have been connected to several players heading to free agency and those rumored to be on the trade market, so there is a good chance they pull off something significant.
They have already missed out on a few top trades, watching the Bills move high draft capital for WR DJ Moore and the Ravens give up two first-round picks for DE Maxx Crosby. So that could force Mike Vrabel and Co. into new plans to fix their receiving corps and pass rush.
There are still a few players rumored to be good fits for the Patriots to trade for, with one of the most shocking names of all being Myles Garrett, who Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report views as one of the most surprising potential trade candidates this offseason.
He lists the Patriots as one of the best fits, and it could be the way they get another chance at bringing in a game-changer after Crosby heads to the AFC North.
The Patriots would have to go all-in to get Myles Garrett if the Browns surprise us all in free agency
While it's probably fair to believe that Vrabel wasn't willing to give up the kind of draft capital that the Raiders wanted in return for Crosby, they might be more inclined to do so if the Browns were to decide that Garrett was available for some reason.
Although it might seem unfathomable, you can never say never in the NFL, as plenty of seemingly untouchable players have been traded throughout the history of the league. There's a fair argument to say even the latest trade of Crosby could fall into that category.
So even though the Browns would be foolish to move on from Garrett, if they really want to revamp their team, they know that trading him would bring in the best return, specifically draft capital, to get their roster back on solid ground.
That would require the Patriots to give up a lot, and although Vrabel and even Eliot Wolf have spoken about wanting to build a young and hungry roster through the draft, it would be almost more foolish not to make a move to get the reigning Defensive Player of the Year on the team.
He might not be the ideal age, since he is 30 years old, but he has shown zero signs of slowing down and is coming off a season with 23 sacks, which broke the all-time single-season sack record in the NFL.
That's the kind of player that would completely transform any defense, and that's exactly what the Patriots could benefit from.
Is this something that will realistically happen? Who knows, and probably not. But there are plenty of reasons for the Patriots to be all-in on getting Garrett to Foxboro if the Browns dangle him to inquiring teams.