NFL Rumors: What Patriots Are Looking For In Deadline Trades

It’s almost impossible to imagine the Patriots doing nothing ahead of the Oct. 31 NFL trade deadline.

If New England beats the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, it should buy at the deadline — at least to some extent. But if the Patriots lose at Hard Rock Stadium, there shouldn’t be any argument against a full-on firesale that kickstarts a rebuild.

In the event Bill Belichick decides to start trading away assets, what will he look to land in return?

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer offered insight Thursday during an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand” show. Breer also talked about the Patriots’ current mindset as well as the pre-deadline interest in edge rusher Josh Uche, who’s an increasingly interesting trade chip despite a contract-year slump.

“So, my understanding is they’re listening on everybody,” Breer said. “I think the one guy that’s come up the most as a potential guy that could get moved is Josh Uche. … He’s valuable, and he has a premium skill, which is as a pass-rusher. So, they’re gonna listen on, my understanding is, just about everybody. Now, that’s within reason. Like, they’re not gonna trade Christian Gonzalez off IR. But they’re gonna listen.

“And the more people I talked to last week, the more I got the idea that they’re gonna be fishing around for, like, third- and fourth-round picks a little bit. So, if they can add one of those or two of those for a player that maybe isn’t playing a lot, or they’re not gonna re-sign, I think that would be the sort of idea that they’d be looking at.”

For a variety of reasons, the 2-5 Patriots might be the most interesting team to monitor ahead of the deadline.

Everything seemingly is on the table, from trading away Mac Jones to acquiring a player who actually could help the offense this season. We have no idea how Belichick could act in this situation because he hasn’t been in it since arriving in New England.

You can click here for our breakdown of the eight Patriots who make sense as trade candidates.