Jerod Mayo Confirms Patriots’ Interest In Receiver Trade Market

The New England Patriots are doing their due diligence in all areas, and that includes the wide receiver trade market.

Patriots first-year head coach Jerod Mayo confirmed the organization’s interest in acquiring a receiver via trade. Mayo said New England, which badly needs a game-changing receiver, remains “open” to the idea.

“One-hundred percent, we’re still open on the trade market,” Mayo told reporters Monday during the annual NFL league meetings in Orlando, Fla., per the Patriots.

Mayo did not specifically mention any player by name and did not say whether or not New England made a trade offer to this point.

However, some of the receivers involved in trade speculation include the Cincinnati Bengals’ Tee Higgins, who reportedly requested to be traded earlier this offseason, and the San Francisco 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk is entering the final year of his rookie contract.

A trade isn’t the only path to a high-end wideout, though.

Mayo also spoke about the receiver depth in the 2024 NFL Draft. It’s been praised as one of the deepest position groups with a consensus top three of Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze.

Patriots de facto general manager Eliot Wolf, who will have final say on draft night, and Mayo will keep that in mind while kicking the tires on trade candidates.

“But I would also say this is a pretty deep class as far as receivers are concerned. So it’s all on the table right now,” Mayo said. “And hopefully as we continue to get closer to the draft, Eliot’s fielding calls, the scouts are fielding calls. But as we get closer to the draft, it starts to be a clearer picture. That’s really the goal.”

The Patriots have been linked to Higgins, specifically, for weeks. It feels like he’s the most realistic, high-end option and would make plenty of sense as a New England target.

The receiver market isn’t the only area where the Patriots continue to do their due diligence, however. Mayo also said the organization would consider trading its No. 3 overall pick should a team offer a “bag” for the selection.