For weeks, the chatter around the Patriots has been about whether the team would trade high-priced wide receiver Nelson Agholor, whose production didn't match his paycheck in 2021.
Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer suggests New England is indeed making and taking calls on a few of their players after dealing away starting right guard Shaq Mason, backup linebacker Chase Winovich, and former first-round receiver N'Keal Harry this off-season.
But Agholor might not be the most likely player to leave town now, according to Breer's latest MMQB.
First on the list of possible trade candidates: tackle Isaiah Wynn.
"New England’s really tight to the cap, and my sense is they’d like to use a surplus they might have at one position or another to alleviate that and maybe pick up a draft pick or two. The one guy I know definitively that they’ve talked with other teams on is Isaiah Wynn, their first-round pick from 2018," writes Breer.
"Wynn, though, is on a $10.4 million fifth-year option, which has made it tough to move a guy who, four years after he was drafted, is still seen as a tackle/guard tweener."
Wynn, who has had an up-and-down, injury-plagued tenure as the team's left tackle since being drafted 32nd overall in 2018. He skipped OTAs this spring but returned for mandatory minicamp -- as the team's right tackle, with Trent Brown switching to the left side.
However, he has now missed more than a week's worth of practices and has now participated in either preseason game, leading to questions about his health and future with the team. If healthy, a team with the cap space might be interested in taking on a serviceable tackle for a relatively cheap (as far as tackles go) $10.4 million.
Agholor, meanwhile, has been present and very noticeable (in a good way), dominating joint practices with the Carolina Panthers and catching a 45-yard bomb from Mac Jones in last Friday's preseason contest. Tyquan Thornton's collarbone injury now makes it highly unlikely the Patriots would trade Agholor, who has arguably been the team's best receiver this summer and certainly the fastest aside from Thornton.
Bourne, on the other hand, has garnered a lot of focus as a potential trade chip after a sluggish training camp and a frustrating Tuesday last week where he was openly chastised by Bill Belichick for an equipment issue and was then promptly ejected for fighting at joint practices.
The receiver, who broke out with 800 yards receiving in 2021, also did not play in last week's preseason game, though he did travel to Las Vegas for joint practices with the Raiders.
"His financials are manageable ($3.75 million, plus $750K in per-game roster bonuses), he’d shown some frustration with the offensive changes over the last few months, and just got done with a weird week," Breer said. "I think the Patriots will get some calls on him, at the very least. And I think they’d feel compelled to listen, too, given their own situation."
Maybe Bourne, who has struggled to make an impact in practice, doesn't think the new offense is that "dope" after all.
Again, Thornton being unavailable makes a receiver trade feel less likely. But Bourne's skill set would be more easily replaceable by a player like Lil'Jordan Humphrey or Tre Nixon than Agholor's would.
If you believe Breer, though, the Patriots could be closing in on trading someone. We could find out around roster cutdown day next Tuesday.
