NFL Rumors: Patriots Listening To Offers on 'Almost Anyone'
With the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 3, many are wondering if the New England Patriots will be buyers, sellers or will stay put prior to the deadline, especially after the way the last three games have played out for them.
Well, it sounds like they may be sellers, at the very least.
Here's what The MMQB's Albert Breer wrote this week about the Patriots:
The Patriots have been quiet thus far, but I’m told they’ve said to other teams they’d listen on almost anyone. The team did discuss Stephon Gilmore with other teams before the draft, and then again in training camp, before moving $4.5 million in his contract from 2021 to ’20. Other teams took that restructure as a sure sign that this will be Gilmore’s last year in New England. So if they lose Sunday in Buffalo, it’d be interesting to see if they’d move the timetable on his departure up.
Gilmore has been a hot topic ahead of the trade deadline. At 30 years old and entering the final year of his contract in 2021, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year is a prime example of the type of player that Bill Belichick likes to trade to acquire capital before his contract expires. Gilmore also reportedly put his house on the market Tuesday evening, which is what initially sparked conversation about him being shipped elsewhere.
But apparently Gilmore isn't the only player New England is willing to listen to offers for.
Joe Thuney is a player that would be a perfect piece for a contending team that needs to fill a hole on their offensive line. He does bring a hefty price tag due to the fact that he's playing on the franchise tag, but it's been evident this season how valuable he can be no matter where he's plugged in on the offensive line.
Lawrence Guy is another player that the Patriots could potentially move on from. As an outstanding interior defensive lineman, Guy is in the final year of his contract with New England. The Patriots are thin at defensive tackle at the moment, but if the right offer comes across their table prior to the deadline it's hard to imagine that New England passes it up.
There have been rumblings that quarterback Cam Newton could be on the trade block. But I personally do not believe those to be true. After having two very poor performances over the past two weeks, who would want to give up capital to acquire him? There's seems to be too small of a sample size this season for any team to want to pounce on a trade for Newton, unless the Patriots are asking for pennies in return and the team acquiring him can agree to an extension with him as well. But both of those scenarios seem unlikely.
Ultimately, Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills may determine how New England approaches the trade deadline. If the Patriots can scrape out a win over the Bills, then their season is very much alive, giving them less of a reason to sell. However, if they lose and drop to 2-5 on the season, their chances of making the playoffs will get even slimmer, which is more of a reason to sell prior to the deadline.
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