FOXBORO — A day after Eliot Wolf made waves saying the Patriots would be open to potential blockbuster trades, his ranking No. 2 echoed a lesser publicized part of his comments Tuesday.
Speaking with reporters before practice, Patriots vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden reiterated trades are harder to make than most outsiders think.
“I think Eliot (Wolf) put it in a good (way) yesterday,” Cowden said. Tthere’s so many layers and complications and little nuances about every deal. Whether that’s a little deal, whether that’s a big deal or it’s a backup player or maybe an elite player.
“Our job is to constantly come up with ideas, brainstorm suggestions about players at all levels. And the acquisition of those players isn’t as easy sometimes. It takes two sides. Sometimes the player has say. And we have to be really intentional about moves we make because any move we make sends a message to the rest of the football team.”
Wolf’s comments Monday came as the Patriots lead the NFL with more than $59 million in cap space, though they are scheduled to be $15 million over the cap in 2026. The Patriots can fix their projected cap problems by rolling over unused cap room this year into next offseason. Wolf said Tuesday the Patriots would nonetheless be open to a potential big trade, which would likely require taking on a big contract.
“Yeah, absolutely,” he said. “We’re talking to all 31 teams and trying to do what’s best for us. I think those things are often a lot more complicated than the fans and some others would like to make you believe. But if there is something we think can help us, we’d definitely be open to it.”
If the Patriots were to pursue a disgruntled NFL star and surrender some of its cap space, plus a top pick as Wolf said the front office would be willing to do, Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons, Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson and Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin are the top names to know.
