The New England Patriots could get significantly better during the 2025 NFL offseason. New England was firmly a rebuilding team during the 2024 season, only winning four games with rookie QB Drake Maye. The Patriots decided to fire first-year head coach Jerod Mayo and bring in Mike Vrabel this offseason. This move alone should improve the team, as Vrabel is a proven winner in the NFL.
Vrabel picked the perfect time to join the Patriots. He has a rare opportunity to thoroughly put his stamp on the roster before the 2025 season.
New England has the most cap space of any team in the NFL heading into free agency. In fact, the Patriots are projected to have roughly $128 million in cap space available to spend in free agency. This gives New England the flexibility to bully other teams in contract negotiations and possibly add several talented players all at once.
They also have a full war chest of draft picks ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. New England boasts 10 picks in the draft, including the fourth overall pick.
There’s no reason why the Patriots have to stop their, either. The Patriots could also consider trading for a talented player who could add value right away. This would accelerate New England’s rebuild and give the Patriots a better evaluation of QB Drake Maye during his sophomore season.
But which players could they consider adding via trade?
Below we will explore one perfect trade the Patriots need to complete during the 2025 NFL offseason.
Patriots could significantly upgrade their receiver room by trading for DK Metcalf
Before we get into the analysis, let’s break down the possible trade terms.
Patriots receive:
- WR DK Metcalf
Seahawks receive:
- 2025 third-round pick (via Falcons)
The Patriots currently have a roster full of WR2- and WR3-type players. If New England could get their hands on a legitimate WR1, someone defenses are forced to game plan around, it could open up the entire offense.
This is the same rationale that has caused many NFL analysts to link the Patriots with Bengals WR Tee Higgins if he reaches free agency. However, the more news that comes out of Cincinnati, the more it seems like Higgins will be retained.
There is no guarantee that the Bengals will retain Higgins, but the uncertainty makes it unwise for the Patriots to count on Higgins being available.
This is where DK Metcalf comes into the equation.
Metcalf and Higgins are very similar players in terms of talent and archetype. Both are established perimeter receivers who boast impressive size, which is more true of Metcalf than Higgins. Each player could easily be the leading wide receiver on the Patriots and has multiple seasons of good production left in their career.
In some ways, the Patriots may prefer to go after a player like Metcalf.
DK Metcalf is an incredibly productive receiver, and his highs are higher than Higgins has achieved. Metcalf hauled in 83 receptions for 1,303 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2020, which is better than any season by Higgins.
Metcalf also has a fairly clean injury history, which is important to consider for a player entering his age 28 season.
This trade could make sense for the Seahawks as well. Seattle is an awkward situation as a franchise, but it is most appropriate to call them a rebuilding team.
The Seahawks do not have a ton of cap space in 2025, but they gain a ton more space over the next two offseasons. This also coincides with Geno Smith’s existing contract with Seattle. My read of the situation is that Seattle intends to rebuild around a new quarterback at some point over the next two years. They may still be a competitive team in 2025, but their roster as it exists today does not reflect long-term success.
As a result, the Seahawks may be happy to part ways with a player like Metcalf at the right price. Metcalf only has one year left on his contract, which carries a $31.88 million cap hit in 2025.
The Seahawks can get a portion of this money back by trading Metcalf. In the above trade terms, I gave the Seahawks a third-round pick (77th overall) from the Falcons in exchange for Metcalf. In reality the terms could look slightly different. Seattle may ask for a higher draft pick, or the teams may compromise on a pick swap of some kind.
Regardless of what the exact terms could look like, any deal would probably land somewhere in this vicinity.
The Patriots would be foolish to pass up on a player like Metcalf for such a bargain. I may even recommend the trade at the cost of a second-round pick, assuming New England gets another draft pick in return.
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