Should the New England Patriots be a buyer or a seller ahead of Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET NFL trade deadline? You could make the case for both.
On the one hand, the Patriots are one game out of a playoff spot at 4-4, and an addition at offensive line or linebacker help them make a legitimate push for the postseason down the stretch. On the other hand, a Wild Card berth seems like the best-case scenario for a team that's well below the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC hierarchy, so there's an argument that New England should look to acquire draft capital and position for 2023 success given its 2022 ceiling.
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If the Patriots opt to sell, they apparently have several options. Our Phil Perry reported New England has fielded trade calls about veteran wide receivers Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor, DeVante Parker and Jakobi Meyers, while running back Damien Harris and safety Jabrill Peppers reportedly have garnered interest, as well.
Pro Football Focus' Doug Kyed added to the Bourne trade intrigue Tuesday, reporting that the Chicago Bears are among the teams that have called the Patriots about a trade for the wide receiver.
"Chicago needs wide receiver help but is otherwise selling off assets such as edge defender Robert Quinn and linebacker Roquan Smith in trades," Kyed wrote. "It would help to get a player like Bourne in the building now to give him half of a season and the offseason to work with quarterback Justin Fields."
New England Patriots
The Bears already traded for one Patriots wide receiver in N'Keal Harry, who came over to Chicago in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round pick in July and caught his first touchdown pass as a Bear on Sunday. Bourne has played a limited role with New England this season (11 catches for 156 yards through eight games) and is under contract through 2023, so he could be an intriguing buy-low target for Chicago.
The Patriots would only clear about $2.5 million in cap space, per Kyed, but considering their current depth at wide receiver with rookie Tyquan Thornton also in the mix, it may make sense to part ways with Bourne if the price is right.
Either way, we'll get a better sense of New England's belief in its 2022 roster based on what moves the team does or doesn't make between now and 4 p.m. ET.