New England Patriots
“My understanding is their approach is going to be to take a long-term view of this whole thing.”
The 5-2 New England Patriots are presumably well ahead of schedule in their ongoing rebuilding process.
But even with New England currently holding onto first place in the AFC East and putting themselves on track for a playoff appearance this winter, NFL insider and Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer doesn’t expect the Patriots to target stopgap additions if they bring in talent before the Nov. 4 trade deadline.
“My understanding is their approach is going to be to take a long-term view of this whole thing,” Breer said on NBC Sports Boston’s “Patriots Pregame Live” about New England’s approach at the deadline. “I think you have to put these in two buckets, right? Short-term versus long-term.
“I think if there is a short-term buy here for them, it’s going to be more of a depth piece,” Breer added.
While New England could add a backup running back like Jaylen Wright or Zamir White without relinquishing a coveted draft pick, the Patriots could relinquish a first or second-round pick for an impact talent like Trey Hendrickson.
But the 30-year-old Bengals pass-rusher, who is looking to command a hefty new contract next season, doesn’t exactly fit into New England’s long-term plans, Breer noted.
From Breer’s perspective, the only way that Eliot Wolf, Ryan Cowden and New England’s top brass will part with coveted draft picks moving forward will be if they’re getting a younger, elite talent in return.
As such, Breer listed two intriguing trade targets for the Patriots: Saints wide receiver Chris Olave and Vikings wideout Jordan Addison.
“Guys that are nearing the end of the rookie deals, where maybe their teams like the player, but don’t plan on signing them long-term,” Breer said. “I think that would be a sort of long-term buy that you would look at — somebody (who’s) a younger player, where then maybe you are willing to give up big-time draft capital.”
Olave, 25, has been linked to New England already this season and would make sense for the Patriots given his age, production (two 1,000-yard seasons) and his standing as an Ohio State alum (much like Mike Vrabel).
Addison, 23, has also been a productive wideout so far in his career — averaging 66 catches, 893 receiving yards, and 9.5 touchdowns over his two full seasons in the NFL.
But Addison, who has one season left on his rookie contract with the potential for a fifth-year option in 2027, has run into some issues this season with Minnesota. He served a three-game suspension for an DUI arrest from July 2024, and was also benched for missing a team meeting in Week 5.
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