The New England Patriots could be shorthanded this week, and that would make their game against the Falcons tougher. But a playoff berth is likely, and here are two last-minute trades the Patriots must make before the 2025 NFL Trade Deadline.
Riding a five-game winning streak, the Patriots have that look. And a key trade could be the difference in making them a true Super Bowl contender.
The biggest splash would be adding a big-time pass rusher. But that takes a big chunk out of the future for a team that looks better primed for 2026 than this year.
Therefore, the trades should be subtle.
Patriots need to trade for Saints WR Rashid Shaheed
Yes, the Patriots could go for Chris Olave. But that’s also a higher price than they should pay at this point. And they can get what they need by adding the Saints’ WR2, according to ESPN.
“Shaheed brings a field-tipping speed element that is woefully absent in New England's current receiving corps,” Ben Solak wrote. “And he could be easily extended while keeping plenty of salary cap space open for a gigantic WR1 contract in March.”
And Adam Schefter said the Saints might be willing to bend, according to ESPN.
“The New Orleans Saints have said they're not interested in trading away one of their wide receivers, but league sources believe Rashid Shaheed can be had for the right price,” Schefter wrote. “Teams continue to call the Saints regarding the trade availability of Shaheed and fellow receiver Chris Olave, sources told ESPN.”
There are naysayers about this trade. But one person is all in, according to NBC Sports.
“I really like Rashid Shaheed,” Patriots insider Phil Perry said on Early Edition. “To me, he gives you speed, speed, and more speed.”
And another said it makes sense.
“On the field, Shaheed is on pace for a career year,” Sean T. McGuire wrote. “And that's playing with Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler. While Rattler was drafted the same year as Maye, nobody is confusing the two. Maye is deserving of the NFL MVP hype that's started to catch on. He's also looked like one of the best deep-ball throwers in football, which would play right into Shaheed's forte.”
However, McGuire played the other side of the fence, too.
“Didn't the Patriots just spend a third-round pick on a wide receiver projected to be an explosive-play threat?” McGuire wrote. “Rookie wideout Kyle Williams, who the Patriots selected 69th overall six months ago, has come up well short of expectations to this point.”
But that’s the thing. Draft picks are crapshoots. Shaheed has proven he can play.
Patriots must trade for edge rusher
Again, the Patriots can’t open the vault and try to get a marquee name like Trey Hendrickson or Maxx Crosby. Those guys are too expensive.
One problem is that the best fit may be Jaelan Phillips. Why is that a problem? He plays for the division-rival Dolphins. They’re not going to give the Patriots help.
Therefore, they should turn their attention to Kayvon Thibodeaux. But they can’t give up a first- or second-round pick for him. If that’s the price, then it’s a no-go.
But Thibodeaux would be a nice fit, according to profootballnetwork.com.
“Kayvon represents a completely different type of EDGE investment compared to Hendrickson,” Ayden Stroupe wrote. “Where Hendrickson is a finished product who brings immediate dominance, Kayvon is a long-term investment. He flashed star potential in 2023 with 11.5 sacks, but has seen his production decline sharply since then. He recorded just 5.5 sacks in 2024 and has only 2.5 sacks through eight games this season.”
Patriots are doing a balancing act
It’s kind of a funny spot for the Patriots in 2025. They appear to be good enough to add the right player and maybe get a playoff win. Maybe two. But this isn’t a team that’s going to win the Super Bowl. So they must be careful with how they proceed.
There’s a lot of promise with Maye behind center. But the Patriots have to make all moves with an eye on the future.
Certainly, they aren’t afraid to make a deal. They dealt two players this week, safety Kyle Dugger and defensive end Keion White. And head coach Mike Vrabel said it was timing, according to masslive.com.
“I think that with just the timing of everything and where we’re at as a team, we felt like it was the right thing to do,” Vrabel said. “We’ve got a lot of guys in that room, and we just felt like at this particular time, to make those moves that we made with him and Kyle.
“Again, I’ll remind you, we’re eight games into what we feel like is a program that we want to build. And we have to continue to find ways to improve, figure it out, and get it right. And that’s all we’re trying to do. Whether that’s having success early on in the season, mid-season, or after the trade deadline, whatever that may be, I think we just have to continue to take that approach.”
