The Patriots Perfect Storm: Steeler Receiver Joins Roster in Blockbuster Trade
After a 4-13 season with rookie head coach Jarrod Mayo and rookie quarterback Drake Maye, the New England Patriots head into the offseason with the most cap space ($121 million) in all of football.
They have several holes on their roster and having that much flexibility will allow them to make significant improvements in Year 2 of Drake Maye and Year 1 with new head coach and former Patriot, Mike Vrabel.
One of the significant upgrades needed is a star receiver and Sportsnuat’s Andrew Buller-Russ has New England making a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers for star receiver George Pickens.
The one hesitation any team has with making a move for Pickens is his known bad attitude and his problems when things are not going perfectly. When he’s getting the ball and the Steelers are winning, it is sunshine and rainbows for Pickens. When it’s the opposite of that, he’s on the sidelines throwing his helmet and yelling at his teammates.
Pickens will be a free agent after the 2025 season, and it would be hard to envision a world where New England makes a trade for Pickens without having a contract extension already in place. The pairing of Maye-Pickens for the next 3-to-4 seasons would be an exciting watch for New England fans.
A trade for Pickens would signal that the Patriots are ready to get back to competing and trying to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
