If you're looking for the New England Patriots to be competitive this season, you are likely misguided. Though the team had a stellar NFL Draft and made other moves during free agency this offseason, this team is far from those of the dynasty years.
In his first season as head coach, Jerod Mayo will take this year's Patriots team through a major transition phase. In fact, you could almost say this is version 2.0. When Tom Brady left a few seasons ago, that was the first major domino of this franchise going in a different direction, an end of an era. Now that longtime coach Bill Belichick will no longer be calling the shots, that fully ends one of the most successful periods for any team in any sport in history.
That means there still could be some major moves and transactions that take place with this team this season, including trading away some of their players. With training camp approaching on July 31, teams will still be looking to fortify their rosters for the upcoming season, and the Patriots definitely have some interesting trade candidates should teams come calling.
Jacoby Brissett
Journeyman quarterback Jacoby Brissett could find himself on the move again if the Patriots feel comfortable enough with their quarterback room. The only real problem is with their first-round pick, Drake Maye.
Maye is the hopeful franchise quarterback of the team, but it's unlikely he's ready by the start of the season. He would have to blow away coaches at training camp to earn the starting job. That's why they have Brissett, not only as a mentor for Maye but as the opening day starter.
Brissett has the most experience of anyone in the quarterback room, with Bailey Zappe behind him. Maye and Tennessee Volunteers rookie quarterback Joe Milton III make up the rest of the room.
As needy as the entire league is at quarterback, don't be surprised if teams come calling about Brissett, who has had some success as a backup in his eight seasons.
JuJu Smith-Schuster
The Patriots bring in a ton of wide receivers to their training camp, which means some could be seen as trade candidates, like JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Smith-Schuster is mainly known for his five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but two seasons ago he became a part of the Super Bowl champions with the Kansas City Chiefs. Starting in all but two games, Smith-Schuster caught 78 passes for 933 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 12 yards per reception, per Pro Football Reference.
Seeing as how the Patriots have other guys in their receiving corps like Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas, K.J. Osborn, and rookie Ja'Lynn Polk, Smith-Schuster could be on the trade block.
K.J. Osborn
Speaking of K.J. Osborn — if not Smith-Schuster, the former Minnesota Vikings receiver could be put on the trade block. Or both. Osborn is a solid WR2 or WR3. Working with Kirk Cousins at quarterback in Minnesota, Osborn saw his fair share of targets. Last year, he was targeted 75 times for 48 receptions, 540 yards, and three touchdowns.
Again, when you look at most of what the Patriots wide receiver room entails, it's full of promising young wideouts. It was understandable why the team wanted to add some veteran presence, but if the rookies like Polk end up standing out, guys like Osborn should generate some trade interest from contending teams.
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