Patriots Trade Rumors: NE Not Expected to Be 'Sellers' Before 2020 Deadline

The New England Patriots are in a rare position with a losing record in November, but the 2-4 squad is not expected to be a seller ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network:

"Do not expect the Patriots to be overreactive or reactive at all at the trade deadline," Rapoport said.

A deal for cornerback Stephon Gilmore is also considered "not feasible."

Gilmore was the league's Defensive Player of the Year last season but has a $25.2 million cap hit this season and a $17.2 million cap hit in 2021, per Spotrac.

It's also been a long time since the Patriots have done anything close to a rebuild.

As Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network noted last week, the organization hasn't had a losing record in October or later since 2002.

One thing to consider is the team has faced a difficult schedule to start the season with five of six games against teams currently .500 or better, including Super Bowl contenders like the Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.

Starting quarterback Cam Newton also missed time due to COVID-19, contributing to the team's slow start.

Even if 2020 is a lost season, the Patriots can also still count on reinforcements next year from players who opted out, including Marcus Cannon and Dont'a Hightower.

New England doesn't necessarily have to bottom out in order to return to contention in the future. It could stop the team from dealing away any valuable assets in the coming days.