Steve Smith tells Julian Edelman about the time he was almost traded to the Patriots

Carolina's greatest wide receiver of all time almost got dealt to New England at the peak of the dynasty.

CHARLOTTE, NC - AUGUST 28: Terrell Buckley #27 of the New England Patriots tries to stop Steve Smith #89 of the Carolina Panthers on August 28, 2004 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. | (Photo By Craig Jones/Getty Images)

You can make a strong case for Luke Kuechly, but from our perspective nobody has played their position better in Carolina Panthers history than Steve Smith played wide receiver. From 2001-2013 Smith put up some undeniably impressive numbers, especially considering his size. At his peak Smith led the NFL in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns in 2005, but he kept on producing 1,000-yard seasons right up until the end of his run in Carolina.

Smith eventually left for the Baltimore Ravens in 2014 after falling out with the Panthers' front office, then led by general manager Dave Gettleman. It very nearly went another way, though. Apparently at one point Smith was on the verge of being traded to the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots at the height of their dynasty run. Here's Smith telling the story to Julian Edelman on his podcast.

Steve Smith on Patriots trade that fell through

“A former teammate of mine was on the team a couple months before… He gave information on where to stay! You’re talking bags packed… One foot in, one foot out.”

Steve Smith Sr. dives deeper into how close he was to being traded to the Patriots:@Edelman11 @SteveSmithSr89… pic.twitter.com/bUQedqgT44

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