The NFL trade deadline was Tuesday, and even though several New England Patriots players were rumored to be available or were drawing interest, the team didn't make any moves to improve the roster or add draft picks.
The only deal the Patriots made in the weeks leading up to the deadline was sending edge rusher Josh Uche to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick in late October.
Jerod Mayo was asked Wednesday at his press conference if he felt the Patriots were close to making a move in the hours before the 4 p.m. ET deadline Tuesday.
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"One one thing about the trade deadline -- I talked about this on Monday -- at least in the NFL, everyone wants to build it up like it's baseball, basketball or something like that. It's not," Mayo said.
"Look, we do our research on everything that's available. I would say (de facto general manager) Eliot (Wolf) and his staff have contacted multiple teams, and multiple teams have contacted us, just like every other team in the league."
Why didn't any more deals get done?
"I'm not sure," Mayo said. "I mean, look, for us, it's about value. It's about thinking about the present and also trying to get better in the future."
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Two Patriots players who reportedly drew interest from other teams were wide receivers K.J. Osborn and Tyquan Thornton. Neither player was dealt before the trade deadline, which means the Patriots now have seven wideouts on their active roster. Finding playing time for everyone, especially the rookies and young players at the position who need snaps to develop, won't be easy.
Are any other moves coming? How will Mayo handle the snap counts at wide receiver?
"They're on the roster right now, and they're going to go out there and practice today," Mayo said. "At the same time, they'll have their opportunities, and it's not about the amount of opportunities they have. It's about going out there and taking full advantage of those opportunities."
Does Mayo expect the team to continue to carry seven wide receivers on the active roster?
"Look, these guys are on the roster right now," Mayo explained. "We're always, again, looking to get better, and that may be addition through subtraction. It may be -- I don't know what group it is, but we're always looking to get better."
It's important that the Patriots use the final eight games of the season to develop their young players and determine which guys will be part of the team's core going forward. And at no position is that more critical than wide receiver. They need to figure out if recent draft picks Ja'Lynn Polk, Javon Baker and others are the real deal. Figuring that out will help the Patriots decide which moves to make in the upcoming offseason.
