New England Patriots Rumors: 2 big WR trades that would blow up the AFC
New England Patriots big trade target No. 1: Deebo Samuel
Another wide receiver the Patriots missed in the 2019 NFL Draft, Deebo Samuel, is also unhappy with his contract situation with the San Francisco 49ers. Samuel just put together one of the most unqie seasons in NFL history from a wide receiver, and now he’s set to capitalize in a big way. According to reports, Samuel wants to be the highest paid non-quarterback in the league, which is a big ask.
The issue is, Samuel may just be able to land a contract like that, as his 2021 season was one unlike any other. He was an absolute force as a receiver (77 REC, 1405 YDS, 6 TD), but he also chipped in as a running back, and when he got the ball, he was tough to bring down (59 CAR, 365 YDS, 8 TD). Samuel is a hybrid player unlike anything the NFL has ever seen, and most importantly, he’s extremely good at both running and catching the football.
Now obviously, the Patriots would have to do some serious cap maunvering to get Samuel (or Brown for that matter) on their roster. But we have seen this offseason that you can basically just make cap space appear out of thin air through signing bonuses and voidable years, so while it will hurt down the line, both these guys are good enough where they would be worth the extremely large deal they would command.
Samuel is pretty much everything; there’s nothing he cannot do on the football field. He can get open at all three levels of the field, he is one of the hardest players to tackle in the league (his 18.2 yards per catch led the league), he can take handoffs out of the backfield, he can block. Anything you ask him to do, he will do. He is as complete of a wide receiver the league has ever seen, and he’s taking that statement to the next level.
Rob Gronkowski is just an annoyance at this point. dark. Next
If a trade for Brown would require a big package, it would be even bigger for Samuel. He’s a little older than Brown, but signing him to a long-term deal would keep him with whatever team is on throughout his prime. The 49ers are in all sorts of chaos right now, and they are at risk of losing their best player in the process. If he somehow becomes available, Bill Belichick and the Patriots should give up whatever San Fran wants in order to get him.