There’s little chance Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are considering a trade for receivers Deebo Samuel (49ers), DK Metcalf (Seahawks) or A.J. Brown (Titans). Essentially, the three wideouts want a new contract — or a new team that’ll give them a new contract.
For New England, the timing simply doesn’t make sense.
Samuel is the most discussed of the bunch. He asked the 49ers to trade him on Wednesday. Samuel doesn’t just want a new contract. He also wants to play running back less often — with hopes that avoiding the role will prolong his career. That surely serves as an immediate red flag for Belichick, who only goes after players who will unquestioningly do their job. And that dictatorial approach is not for everyone. It might not click for Samuel, who has every right to voice his concerns about playing a position (running back) he didn’t sign up to play — and one that eats away at his playing career. But that’s one of many reasons why he and Belichick are probably not a match.
Not right now, at least.
Consider, also, what owner Robert Kraft just said at the owner’s meetings.
“The only way you can build your team for long term and consistently that you have a chance of winning is having a good draft,” Kraft said last month.
Before we get into the finances of trading for Samuel, we have to acknowledge that the Patriots would probably need to give up a first-rounder (or the equivalent in a package of picks). By giving up No. 21 overall, the Patriots forfeit four or five years of a potential star, who will cost very little on his rookie contract. That goes against what Kraft just said.
Why? Because the Patriots would be giving up a high pick (or a package of high picks) in order to pay a veteran big money.
Again, now isn’t the time for that.
The Patriots are currently spending the third-most money in the NFL on their receiver group. Adding on Samuel — and his contract extension — would be a massive ask for Kraft, who footed the bill of a record-breaking free agency spend last offseason. Samuel’s hypothetical extension might also prove a massive burden for New England, which currently has just about $1.5 million in cap space. That’s absolutely nothing to work with.
Samuel (like Metcalf and Brown) is slated to hit free agency in 2023 if he doesn’t reach an extension with the 49ers (or get traded to a different team which would, in theory, immediately give him the contract he wants). In 2023, the Patriots will have a lot of cap space ($79,351,044) — and a few open roster spots for receivers. Nelson Agholor, Jakobi Myers and N’Keal Harry are slated to enter free agency.
From Wednesday’s NFL Live: one of the central factors that could be driving Deebo Samuel’s desire to be traded away from San Francisco. pic.twitter.com/D83XEsQx41
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 21, 2022
New England added at the receiver position by acquiring a low-risk, high-reward player in DeVante Parker. And the Patriots only had to give up the equivalent of a fourth-round pick to do it.
So Belichick is going to steer clear of Samuel (and Metcalf and Brown) this year.
Next year? Well, that might be a different story.
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