Several players at positions of need for the Patriots are rumored to be trade candidates in the coming weeks. Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby is the top prize on the NFL trade market this offseason, and Eagles wide receiver A. J. Brown has been linked to the Patriots for quite some time. But they aren’t the only notable players who might get traded this offseason. Several other players at positions of need for the Patriots are rumored to be trade candidates in the coming weeks. There seems to be a handful of wide receivers, in particular, who could hit the trade market due to a variety of reasons. Of course, the Patriots could add in free agency as they have roughly $40 million in cap space, or they could swing a deal for one of the top two trade candidates this offseason. But if the Patriots opt to address some of their key needs on the trade market, here are five other players that would make sense for them to consider. Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Colts Pittman might be the odd man out in Indianapolis between his massive salary cap number ($29 million) and the team’s potential pursuit to keep wide receiver Alec Pierce. However, Pittman is still a quality player. The 28-year-old wide receiver logged 80 receptions for 784 yards and seven touchdowns this past season. While Pittman’s receiving yards were the fewest since his rookie season in 2020, he logged at least 800 receiving yards in each of the previous four seasons with some pretty bad-to-mediocre quarterback play. He’s had a pair of 1, 000-yard seasons as well, logging 109 catches for 1, 152 yards in 2023. Pittman has played on the outside for most of his career, but he’s also played a fair number of snaps in the slot, too. Roughly one-third of his snaps came in the slot last season, and he’s graded out as an OK run blocker in his career. So, he could be a reasonable candidate to replace Stefon Diggs if the Patriots move on from the veteran this offseason. If the Patriots were to make a deal for Pittman, they might have to extend him or rework his contract. Any team that trades for him this offseason would be on the hook for a $24 million cap hit in 2026, which is still a pretty big number. DJ Moore, WR, Bears Similar to Pittman, Moore is being rumored as a possible trade candidate because the Bears have to rearrange some of their assets. Moore, who’ll turn 29 in April, had a productive year in 2025, even if it was statistically the worst year of his eight-year career. He logged 50 receptions for 682 yards and six touchdowns as the Bears’ offense took a much more balanced approach on offense. Before last season, Moore recorded at least 90 receptions and over 900 receiving yards in each of the previous two seasons. Also like Pittman, Moore has largely played on the outside in his career, but has played a fair number of snaps in the slot and been a decent run blocker. Still, he’s been best utilized as a deep threat over the years, logging 16 touchdown grabs on deep throws (20-plus air yards) over the last four seasons. And just like Pittman, trading for Moore would also likely require some contract adjustment. Whoever trades for Moore this offseason would take on a $24. 5 million cap hit, which might be a bit too rich for any team. Walker Little, OL, Jaguars It’s obvious that the Patriots could improve their offensive line this offseason. Unfortunately for them, there aren’t many standout veteran offensive linemen who become available for trade or in free agency. Little would be an intriguing addition, though. The 26-year-old has mostly played at left tackle in his career, but he struggled this past season as he allowed nine sacks and 45 pressures in 14 games this past season, per Pro Football Focus. However, Little battled a hamstring injury as he had the worst season of his five-year career. While Little has largely played left tackle, he also has experience at guard and right tackle. He hasn’t allowed a sack in the five games he’s played at guard in his career, showing he can at least handle playing on the interior of the offensive line. So, if Will Campbell is the Patriots’ left tackle moving forward, Little could slot in at left guard. Whoever trades for Little this season would be on the hook for $12 million. That isn’t an outrageous number, and he’s under contract through the end of the 2027 season. Uchenna Nwosu, EDGE, Seahawks It’s rare to see a productive player on the defending Super Bowl champion appear on a list like this. But the Seahawks have a handful of key players set to hit free agency this offseason, and Nwosu would seem to be a logical trade candidate considering his age (29) and cap hit ($20. 7 million). So, Nwosu would be a strong target for the Patriots if they were to lose K’Lavon Chaisson in free agency this offseason. Nwosu had seven sacks this past season, logging 46 pressures, per PFF. While he didn’t have a sack in the postseason, Nwosu had nine pressures in the postseason, including four in the Seahawks’ Super Bowl LX win over the Patriots. He also had the pick-six that essentially sealed Seattle’s win. Nwosu dealt with multiple injuries in the 2023 and 2024 seasons that forced him to play just 12 games over those two years. However, he’s clearly been productive when healthy as he had 9. 5 sacks in 17 games for the Seahawks in 2022. Any team that trades for Nwosu this offseason would take on a $11. 5 million cap hit. That’s certainly a reasonable number for a player of his caliber, but he’s also entering the final year of his current deal. That means he’ll probably want a new contract this offseason, regardless of whether he gets traded. Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jaguars Thomas is arguably the top player on this list. He certainly has the highest upside as he’s only 23 and already has a 1, 000-yard season to his name. But there’s also a reason why Thomas is on this list. He had an underwhelming Year 2, logging 48 catches for 707 yards and just two touchdowns. Some questioned if he’s a fit in head coach Liam Coen’s offense, as the team still had a strong year. Others wondered if Thomas didn’t try as hard as he should’ve this past year, with multiple plays showing the wide receiver appearing to give a less than stellar effort on some routes. There’s still clearly some talent in Thomas, though. He had 1, 282 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie, proving to be a big-play threat on the outside. He’d certainly add an element to the Patriots’ offense that they currently lack with his ability to make big plays consistently. Considering Thomas is just two years removed from being a first-round pick, it wouldn’t be a shock if the Jaguars asked for similar value back in a trade. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently floated the idea of the Bills trading wide receiver Keon Coleman and their 2026 first-round pick for Thomas and a fifth-round pick. So, that might be what the Patriots have to give up in order to hand Drake Maye a star wide receiver.
https://www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2026/02/21/patriots-nfl-trade-rumors-candidates-targets/