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The trade talk around the New England Patriots has picked up.
Much of the chatter is related to the Patriots’ wide receiver group, as both Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne have underachieved.
Kendrick Bourne’s Plight and Frustrating Start to 2022
Bourne was the offensive star of the team’s 2021 free-agent class last year. However, the change in the offensive leadership with the exit of former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia’s arrival hasn’t created a favorable situation for Bourne.
After coming through with career-highs in receptions (55), receiving yards (800), and tying a career-best with 5 TDs, he has been nearly non-existent for the team in 2022. In 2021, through the first five games of the season, Bourne averaged 37.4 snaps per game. Through Week 5 in 2022, Bourne is averaging 20.8, which includes the veteran receiver getting a degrading two snaps in the Week 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Nelson Agholor Has Fumbled Away His Chances
Agholor has had opportunities, but he has only played well in one of the Patriots’ five games. His six-reception, 110-yard, 1-TD performance in Week 2 vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers wasn’t just the best game of the season for him in 2022. It is far and away the best game he’s had in a Patriots uniform.
It’s the only game Agholor has had in New England with more than five receptions and the only game he eclipsed the 100-yard mark. Agholor has also shown some shaky hands. He bobbled a pass that turned into an interception in Week 4, and he has two fumbles this season.
That’s not ideal for a player who signed a two-year, $22 million deal ahead of the 2021 campaign.
Albeit for different reasons, neither of the two 2021 free-agent signings has produced the way the team hoped heading into this season. When that is a piece of the dynamic, there will inevitably be trade scuttlebutt.
A WR-For-WR Swap Suggested
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell was clear with the presentation of a recent article. He tweeted: “I proposed 15 very fake trades that NFL teams should consider.”
Amongst Barnwell’s proposed trades is a concept that would have the Patriots sending Bourne to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a long-time object of Bill Belichick’s football admiration, speedster Robbie Anderson.
Barnwell refers to the proposed deal as “a classic change-of-scenery trade” as he identifies both Bourne and Anderson as “frustrated receivers.” Much like Bourne, Anderson has found it difficult to make a mark with the Panthers this season.
Carolina just fired their head coach Matt Rhule so other changes could be in store. That gives some credence to a potential deal involving Anderson.
Bourne signed a three-year, $15 million deal with the Patriots before last season, and his contract is reasonable considering his production from 2021 and his age of 27.
Anderson’s deal was restructured before the start of the season when the Panthers converted $11.765 million of his contract in 2022 into a signing bonus. The move created $5.83 million in cap room for the Panthers, but it would also make his contract for this season less expensive than Bourne’s deal.
There is also a potential out before 2023, when he is scheduled to carry a $21.1 million cap hit with a $9.7 million dead cap penalty, per Spotrac.
Anderson would give the Patriots a proven speed threat who can stretch a defense. He has had TD receptions of 52 yards or more in each of his seven seasons in the NFL.
Bill Belichick Has Had Anderson on His Radar For Years
Anderson spent the first four seasons of his career with the New York Jets, where Belichick got an opportunity to see him twice a year.
Because of this familiarity and admiration for the receiver’s potential impact on a game, Belichick seems to have attempted to acquire Anderson on multiple occasions. In November 2021, Anderson said Belichick tried to sign him ahead of last season.
Ahead of the 2022 campaign, some reports indicated the Patriots tried to trade for Anderson before the beginning of the season. They wound up trading for DeVante Parker. Perhaps this “very fake” trade proposal could be the deal that finally brings Belichick and Anderson together.
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