Top Patriots Trade Targets Entering 2023 Offseason
The New England Patriots have watched two of their AFC East rivals get stronger at wide receiver through a trade in two of the last three offseasons.
The 2023 NFL offseason should be the time the Patriots make an upgrade of their own on the trade market to give Mac Jones a consistent No. 1 target for years to come.
New England needs a Stefon Diggs or Tyreek Hill-type player to take their offense to the next level.
The Patriots thought they were getting playmakers when they signed Nelson Agholor, Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith and Kendrick Bourne, but only Henry's free-agent signing could be viewed as a huge success.
DeVante Parker was brought in last season in a trade with the Miami Dolphins after Hill was acquired from the Kansas City Chiefs. He had a decent season, but the Patriots need an experienced wide receiver to produce more than 539 receiving yards and three touchdowns to compete in the AFC East.
A few veteran wide receivers should be available on the trade market, and it would be wise of the Patriots to swing big in an attempt to match what the Dolphins and Buffalo Bills are capable of in the passing game.
DeAndre Hopkins
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DeAndre Hopkins should be the swing-big option on the trade market.
The Patriots need a 1,000-yard wideout to pair with Mac Jones to take their offense to the next level.
Jakobi Meyers eclipsed the 800-yard mark in each of the last two seasons. That is a nice achievement, but in order to compete in the crowded AFC, the Patriots need a more dynamic pass-catcher at the top of their depth chart.
Hopkins' move to the Arizona Cardinals has not worked out as expected. He dealt with injuries and a suspension that limited him to 19 games over the last two seasons.
Arizona could see this offseason as a chance to make a clean break from Hopkins as it revamps its franchise under a new general manager and head coach.
Hopkins is only two years removed from a 1,400-yard campaign with the Cardinals, so he is more than capable of returning to top form if he plays in all 17 games.
New England should try to take advantage of Arizona's situation by offering a few draft picks in a potential Hopkins trade.
Landing Hopkins would be a huge boost to the Patriots offense, and it would allow them to move on from Nelson Agholor for good. Agholor is a free agent, but the Patriots could look to re-sign him if the trade market does not develop.
A combination of Hopkins and a re-signed Meyers would be a nice one-two combination to build around for 2023. Tyquan Thornton could develop into a decent No. 3 option, and Hunter Henry is one of the most reliable tight ends in the NFL.
That would be a nice pass-catching corps for Mac Jones to work with as he enters his third season.
Keenan Allen
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The Patriots should have their eyes on the Los Angeles Chargers' salary-cap situation.
The AFC West side is $19 million over the salary cap, per Spotrac, and it may have to find creative ways to trim that number.
The Athletic's Daniel Popper mentioned a Keenan Allen trade as one way for the Chargers to trim their large wage bill.
"Trading Allen is another option for creating space," Popper wrote. "When a team trades a player away, they still have to incur the remaining prorated signing bonus on their cap. The same rules apply as far as a trade happening pre- or post-June 1. If the Chargers trade Allen before June 1, they would save $16.3 million in cap space. They would take on $5.4 million in dead money—the remaining signing bonus. If he's traded after June 1, they could spread that $5.4 over two seasons, increasing the 2023 savings by $2.7 million up to $19 million."
Trading away the top pass-catcher on a playoff team headed in the right direction needs careful consideration.
Los Angeles could make other moves to keep itself under the salary cap and retain Allen to work with Justin Herbert for another season.
The Chargers would be foolish to let Allen walk for nothing because of the impact he has on the team when healthy. Allen had five or more receptions and at least 60 receiving yards in nine of his 11 games this season.
Landing Allen could be more difficult than trading for Hopkins because Los Angeles should try to do everything to retain the wide receiver, but if the situation develops in the Patriots' favor, they should at least make an offer to their AFC counterpart.
Brandin Cooks
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Brandin Cooks' name feels like it has been mentioned on the trade market since the second he joined the Houston Texans in 2020.
The former Patriots wideout could be brought back to Foxborough to bolster the wide receiver room in a trade that brings draft picks back to Houston.
The Texans are in no shape to contend in 2023, or maybe even in 2024, under new head coach DeMeco Ryans, so it would make sense to shed some salary in the offseason.
Cooks is scheduled to make $31 million over the next two years. Houston can fill his No. 1 wide receiver role with Nico Collins, or draft picks in 2023 and 2024. The Texans have an abundance of draft selections to use from the Deshaun Watson trade with the Cleveland Browns.
Houston's situation may benefit the Patriots the most, as the asking price for Cooks may not be as large as one for Hopkins or Allen. The Texans should be willing to shed salary, and their large collection of picks makes them less likely to hold out for more selections in any trade negotiations.
Cooks had a 1,000-yard season in New England in 2017, and he could replicate that as the No. 1 target in 2023 and beyond if a deal goes through.
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