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The New England Patriots could pounce on star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb amid trade speculation due to his absence at Dallas Cowboys mandatory minicamp.
That’s how Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon sees it since the Patriots don’t have an elite No. 1 receiver. New England’s offense looked lackluster for all of 2023 with the team’s top receivers underperforming amid 13.9 points per game.
Gagnon proposed the Patriots could trade rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk and a future first-round draft pick to the Cowboys for Lamb.
New England could easily afford Lamb amid $44.25 million in salary cap space, and Lamb wants to be one of the highest-paid receivers in the league at $34 million annually, per Spotrac’s projection.
“The Patriots just used a high second-round pick on Polk, who scored nine touchdowns last season at Washington,” Gagnon wrote on June 6. “But if they see an opportunity to upgrade massively in support of rookie Drake Maye, a quick flip could be in the cards.”
“Of course, they’d have to throw in a first-round pick because elite receivers are such hot commodities right now,” Gagnon added. “Tyreek Hill commanded a first, a second, two fourths and a sixth pick before also getting his bag from the Dolphins two years ago. This shouldn’t be far off of that.”
“This deal would allow Dallas [to] raise a bunch of salary-cap space and draft capital while still landing a high-ceiling receiver, with the bonus of Lamb leaving the conference and joining a non-contender,” Gagnon concluded.
After a 4-13 season in 2023, New England isn’t expected by many to return to the dynasty days this year. The Cowboys would land a high draft pick in that case with a Lamb trade to Foxborough.
CeeDee Lamb Would Likely Catch Passes From Jacoby Brissett Instead of Drake Maye
How soon Maye would be throwing the ball to Lamb would be a big question for the Patriots if the trade proposal came to fruition. The Patriots look set on starting veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett instead of throwing the No. 3 pick on the field quickly.
“Jacoby, again, is our starter,” Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt told reporters on June 4. “He’s playing excellent football for us in the spring. And Drake is coming on. Until that changes, we’re gonna stick with what we’ve got.”
Patriots Have ‘No Timetable’ to Start Drake Maye
Van Pelt said there’s “no timetable” for making a change this year. However, he likes Maye’s progress so far.
“He’s come out, taken everything from the classroom, everything from our individual periods and applied them to the team drills,” Van Pelt told reporters. “He’s been impressive so far. The biggest things we’re working on with him right now, obviously calling plays from the huddle, which is new to a lot of these college guys. And then just playing in rhythm and in time with your feet.”
“I think of it as a marathon over a sprint,” Van Pelt added. “You just don’t go out and run a marathon. You have to train properly for a marathon. It’s the same with a quarterback.”
