Trade rumors have picked back up for the Patriots, involving potential wide receivers who could be on the move for the right price. Most of those who were already made available or speculated to play on a different team in 2025 have been traded, but a few players still should be on New England's radar.
The most prominent names continue to be 49ers' Brandon Aiyuk and Eagles' A.J. Brown, both of whom would be homerun additions to the Patriots' offense. Neither have been made available by their teams, so that puts a halt on any possibility that they'll be traded any time soon. However, nobody is ever really off the table in the NFL.
If that is the case, though, some have speculated that one young receiver could be a sneaky candidate for the Patriots to call about, especially since his team just traded for D.K. Metcalf and offered him a heft extension upon his arrival.
That spotlights 24-year-old George Pickens, who was projected to be the Steelers' top offensive weapon since he was drafted in the second round in 2022, only for his progress to be hindered by the quarterback's underwhelming play.
Now that Metcalf is on the team, there is an increasing belief that the Steelers might be willing to part with Pickens sooner rather than later, which would work right into the Patriots' need for a receiver.
The Patriots could potentially land a solid receiver by trading for Steelers' George Pickens
Going into this offseason, the Patriots were the team most likely to trade for Bengals' receiver Tee Higgins, as he fit the WR1 attributes they desire for the offense, and his age was intriguing to work with Drake Maye over the next four years. That was never able to come to fruition, though, since he was franchise-tagged and then received an impressive extension to remain in Cincinnati.
So if the Patriots want to stick around that kind of player, Pickens might be their next best option. While guys like Aiyuk and Brown might be more appealing, it's unlikely they'd be able to convince their teams to trade them away.
The 49ers might be undergoing massive roster changes, but ridding themselves of their last remaining star receiver doesn't seem like a good plan. The Eagles also don't seem to want to move on from Brown, who has played a pivotal role in the recent success, which earned them a Lombardi Trophy last season.
In that case, Pickens shoots to the top of the list as their best chance to land a game-changing receiver. Again, he's not necessarily like Aiyuk or Brown, but he has recorded 174 receptions for 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns over the last three years working with a list of ever-changing quarterbacks: Justin Fields, Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Mitchell Trubisky, and Russell Wilson.
He also might have recently hinted he's interested in joining the Patriots (or maybe the Raiders?) via his Instagram, which could be a great sign for their chances of accomplishing a successful trade.
George Pickens on Instagram.
— Boorish (@Boorish_Sports) March 19, 2025
Raider? Patriot? pic.twitter.com/RrxOn69MiC
It's no secret that his tenure in Pittsburgh has been a bit chaotic, as it's been well-documented that he has butted heads with his head coach as well as possibly living up to the stereotype of being a diva wide receiver.
That might deter the Patriots, who reportedly didn't get super deep into trade talks for guys like Metcalf because they feared that kind of behavior would impact Drake Maye. However, there's a good chance that a change of scenery would be the right thing for a player like Pickens, especially when it comes to stability at quarterback.
The bottom line is that Pickens shouldn't be a player the Patriots don't look into. Their options have dwindled over the past week, and there's a good chance they'll miss out on the best prospects in the upcoming draft, so pulling off a trade for the caliber of player they need could be their only course of action. Putting Maye in the best situation possible is much needed, so nothing should be off the table.