The NFL Trade Deadline is rapidly approaching on Tuesday, November 1oth. Despite that, the New England Patriots still haven’t made any major moves to improve their injury-riddled roster.
Now, it looks like Patriots fans shouldn’t hold out hope that the Patriots are going to make a major move. In fact, as Mike Reiss of ESPN revealed, the Patriots aren’t expected to do anything more than a small move this year.
“There are multiple reasons, according to sources familiar with the team’s thinking, and near the top of the list is the unwillingness to sacrifice significant assets from future Patriots teams,” Mike Reiss wrote. “The club already did that in the offseason by trading a 2028 first-round pick and 2027 fifth-rounder for receiver A.J. Brown in June, which was part of an overall aggressive offseason.”
That doesn’t mean the Patriots won’t make some kind of move. It just means that fans shouldn’t expect a blockbuster move.
Why the New England Patriots Won’t Make a Splash
It’s fun for fans to dream about what major trades a team could make at the deadline. So, in that same respect, Patriots fans might not be happy to hear that this is going to be a quiet deadline, particularly when the team does have some glaring needs because of injuries.
Still, this is about not mortgaging the future for this season alone. So, the Patriots front office wants to be careful.
“The Patriots have about $5 million in salary cap space, some of which they’ll need to account for standard in-season movement of players elevated from the practice squad and coming on and off injured reserve,” Reiss wrote. “Thus, they aren’t positioned to take on a higher-salaried player without creating more cap space first. The Patriots are 12th in the NFL in cash spending this season, according to OverTheCap.”
That, in its own way, eliminates a running back like Derrick Henry from conversations. He’s simply too expensive to add. Henry is one example, but the reality extends to several other players.
Seemingly strangely, some big-name Patriots players have also been included in trade rumors. That includes Carlton Davis and Christian Barmore. That includes higher salary players who could open up space, especially as they are losing playing time to other players.
Patriots Backup QB Potentially Getting Moved
There’s no doubt that the Patriots are set at quarterback with Drake Maye. However, plenty of other teams around the NFL do have questions at quarterback, which might make it possible for the Patriots to move on from backup Tommy DeVito, who does have starting experience.
“Quarterback Tommy DeVito,” Dan Graziano wrote. “I don’t think the Patriots are trading players. However, DeVito is a backup quarterback with NFL starting experience, so it’s not wild to think New England could get a call.”
The move would likely secure the Patriots an extra Day 3 pick in the NFL Draft. Meanwhile, Behren Morton would slot into the new backup role for New England.
The NFL Trade Deadline is on Tuesday, November 10th at 4:00 p.m. EST. So, it will be worth seeing what kind of moves the Patriots make around then.
Patriots Trade Deadline Plans Revealed; Potentially Disappointing Outcome