Leading up to the trade deadline, the New England Patriots were reportedly trying to add to their wide receiver group. Two of the most popular names to get linked to the team as potential targets were the Denver Broncos’ Demaryius Thomas and the Detroit Lions’ Golden Tate. However, neither will wear the the navy and silver anytime soon – even though both did indeed get traded today.
The first to move was Thomas, who was traded from Denver to the Houston Texans (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport):
Terms: The #Texans are trading for #Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas in exchange for a 4th round pick and the teams are also swapping 7th rounders. Big move for Houston.
Not even an hour later, Golden Tate changed teams as well as the Lions traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter):
Detroit is trading WR Golden Tate to the Philadelphia Eagles for a third-round pick, per source.
While there are no reports about serious talks between the Patriots and Lions regarding Tate, New England was reportedly in on Thomas until the very end. According to NFL Network’s Mike Giardi, the team made a “competitive offer” but a deal ultimately did not get reached due to the financial aspect: the Patriots wanted Denver to absorb some of the wide receiver’s cap hit but the team was not willing to do that.
Even though the two veterans are no longer available, the Patriots could still be active at the wide receiver position. According to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, the Texans have called about Phillip Dorsett but not much progress has been made just yet. Dorsett should still be seen as a player to watch considering that he is in the final year of his rookie deal and had his role reduced to that of a depth option over the last few weeks.