A Major Choice The Patriots Need To Make
Updated: Sep 10, 2023
Should the Patriots be buyers or sellers at the NFL trade deadline?
The Patriots see themselves in the basement of the AFC East after eight weeks. New England has had a shaky start to the 2022 NFL season, and there may even be a slight quarterback controversy since the Patriots’ second-year quarterback has been underperforming. As the trade deadline approaches, the question must be asked. Should New England be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline?
Case For The Patriots Being Buyers
The Patriots need to be buyers at the trade deadline for various reasons. First of all, they have Bill Belichick. A coach as good as Bill Belichick may never be seen again, and New England must have a chance to compete and make the playoffs. Another reason would be the fact that Mac Jones is still on his rookie deal. New England is paying a few players like Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, and Nelson Agholor a good amount of money, but overall they don’t spend as much as the top teams in the NFL.
When quarterbacks are on their rookie deal, the Patriots must get talent around them. Once a quarterback signs an extension, paying other players large contracts becomes much more difficult. We saw this with the Chargers. Justin Herbert looks like he can be a quarterback for a Super Bowl-winning team, so the Chargers went out and signed J.C. Jackson to a large deal, extended Derwin James, and traded for Khalil Mack. So in New England’s case, Mac showed a lot of promise in his rookie year, and getting him more talent, especially at receiver, would be great for his development.
Another case for the Patriots being buyers is that it gives them a chance to take advantage of the relatively weak AFC. Before the season, the AFC looked like it was going to be an extremely competitive conference, with six to seven teams with a legitimate shot at winning a Super Bowl. However, seven weeks into the NFL season, that doesn’t look to be the case.
Teams like the Chargers, Broncos, Raiders, Colts, and Steelers have been major disappointments to start the season. The AFC has two clear teams ahead of everyone, the Chiefs and the Bills. However, after those two teams, the Patriots have a good chance to compete with anyone. New England has good defense and good coaching. Their offense has been shaky, but they still have a good offensive line and a good running game.
With Bill Belichick being the coach, anything can happen in a given week. It would be better for the Patriots to take a big swing and miss in a relatively disappointing AFC when the alternative is staying exactly where they are – not good enough to tank, but not good enough to compete for a Super Bowl.
Conclusion
Being buyers will ultimately benefit the Patriots. It will allow them to take advantage of a disappointing AFC, and being buyers would give New England the star talent they need to compete for a Super Bowl. The Patriots have been underwhelming in 2022, currently at 3-4. At points, the offense looked abysmal, and if the defense couldn’t play well, the Patriots would have a poor showing.
This happened just last week against the Bears. New England’s defense couldn’t stop the Bears, and the offense couldn’t do anything. There are many playmakers on both sides of the ball, like D.J. Moore, Roquan Smith, Jerry Jeudy, and multiple other stars. Getting a playmaker like one of those players can save the season.
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