A new star wide receiver could be emerging as a trade target for the New England Patriots.
The New England Patriots seem to be resigned to the fact that they will not be signing Tee Higgins in free agency, which is certainly a big bucket of ice water.
Higgins was widely viewed as the Patriots’ top free-agent target all season long, as New England is in desperate need of a No. 1 receiver for Drake Maye.
But the Cincinnati Bengals are planning to slap a franchise tag on Higgins, which likely removes him from the equation for the Pats.
As a result, Chad Graff of The Athletic expects the Patriots to turn to the trade market for answers, and he mentions one new name as a potential target: New Orleans Saints receiver Chris Olave.
“So, my early guess (with more reporting hopefully to come soon) is that the Pats will aggressively pursue a trade,” Graff wrote. “That could be as ambitious as calling New Orleans about Chris Olave or Seattle about DK Metcalf. Or it might have to be settling for a deal with the Los Angles Rams for Cooper Kupp.”
Metcalf and Kupp have been linked to New England before, so those two names are not too surprising. Olave, however, is a new one.
The 24-year-old was limited to just eight games this past season due to concussions. During his time on the field, he logged 32 catches for 400 yards and a touchdown. However, when healthy, Olave has proven that he is a force.
The Ohio State product was selected by the Saints with the 11th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft and posted 1,000 yards in each of his first two campaigns, topping out at 1,123 yards in 2023.
Olave becomes eligible for a contract extension this offseason, and if New Orleans does not wish to pay him, a trade is certainly a possibility.
However, with Olave being under team control through 2026, it doesn’t seem likely.
