The New England Patriots have and will continue to have an active offseason. After spending the sixth-most in free agency this year, the team still has 11 draft picks at its disposal. In the trade market, they've dealt Garrett Bradbury, but the June 1 cap gymnastics surrounding A.J. Brown could also lend itself to a blockbuster trade.
While Brown has been the hot topic of Patriots trade rumors, they could look to add supplemental pieces through the trade market. In a recent article by Fox Sports' Ralph Vacchiano, it is suggested that the Miami Dolphins could send a fifth-round pick (151st overall) to the Packers for tight end Luke Musgrave. Should he be available, that's a move New England should be in on.
The Patriots allowed Austin Hooper to return to Atlanta during free agency, replacing him with former Campbell College and Dolphin tight end Julian Hill. He has fewer than 300 career receiving yards through three years and is primarily a blocker.
The Patriots utilized 13 personnel (2 TE, 1 FB) at the highest rate of any team in football last year. With the signing of Reggie Gilliam, I wouldn't expect that high usage rate to change much. If that's the case, Hill may not be the ideal second fiddle to Hunter Henry with such limited receiving ability.
The Patriots have a void at tight end that they can't continue to ignore
Hooper's production certainly saw a drop off in 2025 compared to 2024, but that didn't mean he wasn't a significant part of the offense.
He caught 21 of 26 targets this season, and 13 of those catches were first downs. Stefon Diggs had 51 first downs from 85 catches, meaning New England lost two of their most experienced chain movers. Musgrave could fill the void left by Hooper and help recoup the first down production from both the tight end and the departed Diggs.
A second-round pick in 2023, Musgrave had only 47 catches for 633 yards and two touchdowns during his college career at Oregon State. During his redshirt sophomore season, he had career highs in catches (22) and yards (304) and looked poised for a productive 2022.
His 2022, however, was cut short after a knee injury in the second game of the year. Through the first two games, he had 11 catches for 169 yards and a touchdown. He had 89 and 80 yards against Boise State and Fresno State, respectively.
Asking the Beaver to keep this production up all season would have been a tough ask, but when extrapolating his two-game production over a 13-game season, he'd have recorded 71 catches for nearly 1,100 yards and six touchdowns. Considering his 6-foot-6 and 86/99 NextGen Stats athletic score, it isn't surprising he ended up a top 50 pick.
The Patriots could buy low with Luke Musgrave
While Musgrave was once a hyped prospect, his NFL career hasn't been as fruitful as hoped. He's played in just 35 games in three seasons with the Packers, but 2025 was his first healthy season.
He played in 11 games his rookie year and showed some real promise. He caught 34 passes on 46 targets, totaling 352 yards and a touchdown. He caught 6 passes for 66 yards and a touchdown across two playoff games.
In Year 2, Musgrave played seven games and had as many catches. The ascension of draft class-mate Tucker Kraft played a role, but he never had even 20 yards in a game, and had two games without a catch. He missed most of the season with an ankle injury.
During his first healthy season, Musgrave had 24 catches for 252 yards and two touchdowns. His production improved after Kraft went down for the season with a torn ACL, but it still wasn't elite. He may be best suited as a TE2, as that's the role he thrived in early in his career. The Patriots could offer him that exact role.
Why a trade makes sense ahead of the 2026 season
The Packers have a group of young players who have shown some ascension over the past few seasons. Kraft is one of them, but their offense also features Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, and Christian Watson.
Despite losing Romeo Doubs to New England, they have a plethora of weapons who will need to be paid shortly. All of the players mentioned: Kraft, Reed, Wicks, and Watson, all have contracts expiring at the end of 2026.
Musgrave's deal is also expiring, and he's an afterthought in the offense compared to that group. If they can fetch a fifth-round pick for him, it could be worth receiving value back for a player who's unlikely to return to the team in 2027 anyway.
New England had 11 draft picks, and sending a fifth-round pick to Green Bay could be a good way to thin out their cache while filling a need. If Musgrave can turn a leaf and be a productive player, he could be Henry's successor: next offseason, the ex-Charger will be a 32-year-old free agent.
While it wouldn't be a league-altering move, sending a Day 3 pick to Green Bay for Musgrave could be a savvy way of adding a high upside seam threat with a higher floor than a traditional fifth-round selection.