The Patriots didn’t have to give up much to get offensive tackle Trent Brown from the Raiders.
The trade is Brown and a 2022 seventh-round pick for a 2022 fifth-round pick.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick loves these late-round pick swaps and has used them several times. Belichick recognizes that once the draft is past the Top 150 or so players, the difference in the quality of players available in the fifth round and the seventh round is minuscule.
That the Raiders were willing to give Brown up for so little suggests that they would have released him to avoid paying his $14 million salary if they hadn’t found a trade partner. Brown agreed to re-work his contract with the Patriots in the deal.