Three New England Patriots Among NFL Trade Candidates

This year’s NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 5, at 4 p.m. ET. While contenders attempt to bolster rosters for a playoff push, others find themselves as sellers, as contending in 2024 becomes unrealistic. Teams like the New England Patriots, sitting at 1-5 entering Week 7, find themselves in the sellers category.

Eliot Wolf has made two trades involving NFL players during his tenure as having the final say in New England’s front office. In both instances, the Patriots parted with a player in exchange for future draft compensation. Wolf traded Mac Jones to Jacksonville on March 13. The Jaguars gave up a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, which the Patriots used to select quarterback Joe Milton III.

On Aug. 14, Wolf sent Matthew Judon to Atlanta. New England received a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Also Read – Week 7 NFL Power Rankings: Top Teams Separating Themselves

Will Eliot Wolf send more players packing before the trade deadline? Some people believe so. CBS Sports published an article about the top three trade candidates for each position before the deadline. Among those listed were three New England Patriots players.

TE Austin Hooper

The Patriots signed Austin Hooper during free agency this past offseason. He agreed to a one-year deal with a cap hit of $3.125 million. Hooper serves as Hunter Henry’s primary backup. Hooper appeared in the first six games of the season, playing 54% of New England’s offensive snaps. He has caught eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown.

Dude's a Hooper.

📺: #NEvsSF on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/YyWctSBuzZ

— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2024

Austin Hooper started the season strong for New England, but over the last two weeks, he has just two catches for 14 yards and lost a fumble against Houston in Week 6. Hooper’s blocking has been solid, and he has no drops. A contending team needing tight end depth could use the veteran on their roster, with a sixth or seventh-round pick going back to New England. In addition to Henry, the Patriots have rookie Jaheim Bell on their 53-man roster, with tight ends Mitchell Wilcox and Jake Westover on the practice squad.

If bringing back Hooper is not in New England’s plans beyond 2024, he will likely be dealt if anyone is willing to part with a late pick for his services.

ED Joshua Uche

CBS Sports named Uche as the second-best edge defender who could be available. He ranked behind only Haason Reddick, who remains a holdout following his offseason trade from Philadelphia to the New York Jets. New England drafted Uche in the second round (No. 60 overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. He recorded 20.5 sacks in his 57 games for the Patriots. Uche signed a one-year deal to return to New England this offseason.

.@_Uche35 getting the stop on 3rd down‼️

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/ekILPG5kNM

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 6, 2024

Joshua Uche has had an up-and-down 2024 season so far. He’s looked subpar or invisible in some games while being the best player on the field in the next. His 2022 season is beginning to look like an aberration, benefitting from the attention Matthew Judon garnered. Uche registered 27 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 14 quarterback hits, and had two forced fumbles in 15 games that year. Over his other four NFL seasons combined, Uche has 49 tackles, 9.0 sacks, 20 quarterback hits, and no forced fumbles in 42 games.

Despite Uche’s inconsistent play, it seems risky for the New England Patriots to trade a player who wants to be there. And, following the trade of Judon and the season-ending ACL injury for Oshane Ximines, the Patriots are already very thin on the edge as it is. Does Eliot Wolf consider Uche to be a core player moving forward? The one-year deal he received this past offseason wouldn’t suggest as much. If retaining him beyond 2024 is not in the cards, a fifth-round pick could land a playoff team some defensive help.

CB Jonathan Jones

Jonathan Jones is the third-longest tenured New England Patriots player, behind only David Andrews and Joe Cardona. He signed with New England as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2016 and became a two-time Super Bowl champion during his nine seasons with the team. Jones went from behind an excellent special teams player and reserve cornerback to being one of the most dependable defensive players on the team.

Like Uche, he is playing well in about 50% of the Patriots games this season. Jones had an excellent Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals but struggled mightily in Week 6 against the Houston Texans. His other performances have covered the range in the middle.

Jonathan Jones big tackle to force a Bengals turnover on downs 😤

📺: #NEvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/ZSOWMrsqkQ

— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024

Not only is Jones still a capable NFL cornerback, he is an excellent teammate and person. He was the New England Patriots nominee for the 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. It would be a tough loss for a locker room that is facing discipline concerns on and off the field this season.

Seven players entering the final year of their contracts with the New England Patriots received contract extensions since Eliot Wolf took over. Jonathan Jones was not among them. If this means Wolf does not view the 31-year-old as part of the team’s core or their future, trading him does make some sense. The Patriots have Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, and Marcellas Dial Jr. signed for next season already.

Verdict

With all three of these players set to become unrestricted free agents after the season, the New England Patriots parting ways with any or all of them would not come as a shock. All three are capable of contributing to a contending team. Furthermore, Eliot Wolf has shown that if he wants to lock up a player he will get them signed beyong this season. Austin Hooper and Joshua Uche agreed to one-year deals in free agency. Jonathan Jones watched as seven of his teammates received extension, without him being among them. Does that mean they will be traded? Production and health, both for these Patriots players and on contending teams, will likely be the determining factor there. Stay tuned.