Report: Bengals Trade Chad Ochocinco to Patriots

Either Aaron Hernandez is going to have to change his number, or Chad Ochocinco is going to need a new name.

It was a rumor that I described as "ridiculous."  But as ridiculous as the rumor was, it turned out to be 100% true.  According to a report from John Clayton of ESPN, Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson is headed to the New England Patriots, with the two teams agreeing on a trade and Ochocinco agreeing to restructure his contract into a three year deal:

The New England Patriots have acquired wide receiver Chad Ochocinco after he accepted a restructured three-year contract from the Patriots, a source told ESPN.com's John Clayton.

Terms of the trade weren't known. He was scheduled to make $6.35 million for the Bengals this year. The Patriots wanted him to restructure his contract to fit their cap.

The 6'1", 192 lbs wide receiver has spent his entire career with the Cincinnati Bengals.  While he certainly isn't the player he once was, at age 33, he still has got something left in the tank.  Not to mention, catching passes from Tom Brady can only help.  Last year, Ochocinco recorded 67 receptions for over 800 yards and 4 touchdowns, while playing in 14 games.

Of course, we don't know too much about the details of the trade just yet, but as soon as we find out, we'll keep you posted.

Update: Adam Schefter has tweeted that the deal is for a late round pick in 2012 and 2013.