Patriots Rumors on Willingness to Trade 'Micah Parsons-Type' Haul Amid Brown, Crosby Buzz

The New England Patriots made the Super Bowl last season, but that reportedly doesn't mean they will accelerate their championship timeline with a significant trade this offseason.

"While they will always listen to trade possibilities for big-name stars they believe would help the team, they don't view themselves as the proverbial 'one player away' from a return trip to the Super Bowl," ESPN's Mike Reiss reported Sunday. "Thus, they are less inclined to send a Micah Parsons-type draft-pick haul (two first-round picks and a starting-caliber player) to another team for a veteran star."

Reiss noted that while it may be "tantalizing" for the Patriots to go after a star player such as Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown or Las Vegas Raiders pass-rusher Maxx Crosby, they will only seriously consider such a path "if the price is lower than last year's deal for Parsons."

That isn't particularly surprising considering head coach Mike Vrabel previously said, "We have to continue to draft well and develop because that's the only way you can sustain the success we envision."

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Getting rid of first-round draft picks would work directly against that approach to sustained roster building, even if Crosby and Brown are franchise-altering stars who could have made a difference in that Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

At this point, the future is bright for the Patriots.

This past season was Vrabel's first as the team's head coach, while quarterback Drake Maye is just 23 years old and coming off his second year in the league. They were likely ahead of schedule when they reached the Super Bowl so quickly in their partnership, and this report suggests they aren't changing their overall outlook just because of one impressive playoff run.

The best way to ensure success for Maye continues is by surrounding him with young talent he can develop alongside, and the best way to do that is with successful drafting.

That means Brown and Crosby will likely be traded elsewhere if they are moved this offseason, especially if such deals involve multiple high-value draft picks.