Patriots Trade Candidate Speaks Out About Mounting Rumors

The Patriots are a bad, rebuilding football team, which means New England should be looking to sell before the NFL trade deadline.

Of course, Jerod Mayo’s side isn’t very good because it doesn’t have many good players, which will make it difficult for Eliot Wolf and company to bring in new assets before Nov. 5. But there are a few Patriots who both make sense as trade candidates and could yield nice returns.

Joshua Uche falls into that category, which is why his name has been floated in rumors for a few weeks now. The 2020 second-round pick spoke with ESPN’s Mike Reiss about that chatter before New England’s Week 8 matchup with the New York Jets.

“Ultimately, I am an employee of the Patriots and if they think it’s in their best interest to trade me, I know they’ll do so. If there is an opportunity for them to build for the future, I know they’re going to do so,” Uche told Reiss.

“At this point in time, there are a lot of rumors, and a lot of information that [media] have access to before I do. So we’ll see which one of those pieces of information come to materialize, but I know one thing for sure: Wherever I’m at I’m going to play some damn good football. At this point, it is what it is.”

Uche surprised many over the offseason when he reportedly left money and term on the table to sign a one-year deal to stay in New England. The 26-year-old inked a short-term contract to showcase his admiration for the Patriots organization, but he clearly understands the NFL is a business first and foremost.

Thus, don’t be surprised if Sunday’s showdown at Gillette Stadium is one of Uche’s final games with the Patriots.