Patriots Face Trade Deadline Choices With Jakobi Myers, Damien Harris
FOXBORO — With the NFL Trade Deadline set for Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, several NFL teams will be working the line of communications; seeking the opportunity to improve their team, both in the short term, and the long term.
At 4-4, the New England Patriots find themselves in an interesting position. Fresh off of a 22-17 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday, they sit at ninth place in the AFC. The Pats are just outside the playoff window behind the 4-3 Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals, who are set to take on the Cleveland Browns in Week 8’s Monday night matchup.
In other words, they have slightly better than a ‘Lloyd Christmas “tellin’ me” kind-of chance’ for making the postseason.
With just mode than $1.8 million in available salary cap space ($1,861,759; according to Patriots cap expert, Miguel Benzan), the Patriots are also not in a fiscal position of strength to take on additional salary.
As such, the Pats may make more sense as ‘sellers’ than ‘buyers.’
Coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots brain trust are typically pragmatic. With several notable players set to enter free agency at the concluding of the 2022 season, NFL Network recently reported that New England is keeping its options open in that regard.
“The Patriots appear open to trading away some assets they could lose after the season in free agency while maintaining their competitiveness for 2022,” the report reads. So, if the Pats end up selling off players, it’ll likely be someone on track to hit the open market in 2023.”
In that vein, here is a round-up of the usual suspects regarding recent Patriots trade rumors, as well as a conjecture on the likelihood of their being moved away from New England within the next 24 hours.
Jakobi Meyers
Despite being New England’s most productive receiver, Meyers is often mentioned in potential trade rumors due to his expiring contract. The 25-year-old leads the team in receptions (35), receiving yards (415) and touchdown catches (3). Though he would likely fetch a notable return on investment, New England’s victory on Sunday over the Jets makes Meyers an unlikely candidate to be moved. Simply put, they cannot “maintain their competitiveness” without Meyers in the Foxboro fold. This fact makes it worth the risk of potentially losing the North Carolina State product via unrestricted free agency. Fortunately for the team, Meyers is not only well-liked by quarterbacks Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe, he also enjoys being a Patriot. As such, New England would be smart to use the remaining time between now and the end of the season to construct a deal which would keep Meyers in New England for the foreseeable future.
Jabrill Peppers
Much like Meyers, the only conceivable reason for moving the veteran defensive back would be gaining some form of return on an investment on a player who may receive more lucrative offers on the open market during the offseason. Having made two starts (including Sunday’s win over the Jets), Peppers has compiled 28 total tackles and one fumble recovery. While his stat line may not be eye-popping, his toughness, tenacity and field awareness make him an attractive option for a team in need of help in their defensive backfield. However, with the Patriots unlikely to receive an offer commensurate with his role on the team, the Michigan product is expected to stay put for the remainder of the season.
Damien Harris
Though the idea of moving Harris was considered unthinkable in the offseason, the emergence of Rhamondre Stevenson has caused the concept to gain steam in recent weeks. The Alabama product is still putting up respectable numbers, earning 302 yards on 71 carries with three touchdowns. However, he has clearly been supplanted by Stevenson as New England’s feature back. Still, the Pats know the value of a deep and diverse running game, especially as their passing game continues to struggle. Unless New England is presented with a package which includes valuable late-round draft capital, they would be smart to retain Harris’ services for the remainder of the season.
Isaiah Wynn
When it comes to supply and demand, Wynn may be the Patriots most moveable asset. After all, offensive linemen are seldom offered as trade pieces due to their value to contending teams. Therefore, teams Though Wynn has struggled with his assignments, as well as his discipline (he leads the team with seven penalties), his ability to provide starting-caliber pass protection and run blocking make it risky for the Pats to part with him. Yet, New England may find it to be in their best interest to move their ex-first round draft choice in 2018 if they feel his focus no longer includes giving his all to help the team in 2022.
Nelson Agholor
Logistically, the potential void left behind by Agholor might be that which New England is best-equipped to adequately fill. With rookie Tyquan Thornton continuing to grow into the Pats’ primary deep-threat receiver, Agholor has seen his role progressively diminish. Despite his big-play ability, the ex-USC Trojan has been plagued by ball security issues, with two fumbles marking against him. Yet, New England has reportedly received several inquiries on his availability. If an offer adequately suits their asking price, the Pats would likely welcome a trade. Unfortunately, they may find it difficult to do so, as Agholor’s $5.7 million remaining in annual salary would have to be absorbed by his new team.
Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots
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