2021 NFL trade deadline tracker: Patriots news, rumors, moves, instant analysis

Welcome to the NFL’s 2021 trade deadline! The window for teams to send players elsewhere via trade will be closed at 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and the New England Patriots are certainly a team to watch.

Not only are they sitting at 4-4 coming off a hard-fought win over the Los Angeles Chargers, they also have been quite active on deadline day through the years: New England has made at least one move in the days leading up to the deadline in four out of the last five years, and seven out of the last nine.

Will 2021 be more of the same? Or will the team’s relative lack of salary cap space — New England currently has only $2.66 million available, per Miguel Benzan — be an issue? Let’s find out.

Patriots deadline trades

The Patriots ended up not making any moves.

NFL deadline trades

November 2: The Denver Broncos send CB Kary Vincent Jr. to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2022 sixth-round draft pick.

November 2: The New York Jets send TE Dan Brown to the Kansas City Chiefs for OL Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.

November 2: The Houston Texans send LB Charles Omenihu to the San Francisco 49ers for a future late-round draft pick.

November 2: The Pittsburgh Steelers send LB Melvin Ingram to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2022 sixth-round draft pick.

November 1: The Denver Broncos send LB Von Miller to the Los Angeles Rams for 2022 second- and third-round picks.

October 29: The Houston Texans send RB Mark Ingram to the New Orleans Saints for a 2024 seventh-round pick.

Previous Patriots trades

OT Marcus Cannon: New England’s long-time starting right tackle was sent to the Houston Texans in mid-March. The Patriots added fifth- and sixth-round selections to the deal to get a fourth-rounder and sixth-rounder back.

OT Trent Brown: Brown restructured his contract to get a chance to return to the Patriots. New England used a fifth-round pick in 2022 to get the veteran lineman and a seventh-rounder that same year aboard from the Las Vegas Raiders.

TE Ryan Izzo: The former seventh-round selection was sent to Houston for a seventh-round pick in 2022.

RB Sony Michel: With Damien Harris as the Patriots’ RB1 and rookie Rhamondre Stevenson looking good in training camp, the team decided to ship Michel to the Los Angeles Rams for a sixth-round pick in 2022 and a fourth-rounder the following year.

CB Shaun Wade: The Patriots sent two draft picks — a seventh-rounder in 2022 and a fifth-rounder in 2023 — to the Baltimore Ravens to acquire Wade just four months after he was drafted in Round 5.

OT Yasir Durant: A seventh-round selection in 2022 is what it took for the Patriots to bring Durant aboard from the Kansas City Chiefs on roster cutdown day.

CB Stephon Gilmore: While still on the physically unable to perform list, the Patriots decided to send the star cornerback to the Carolina Panthers. New England received a sixth-round draft pick in 2023 for the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Patriots positions of need

Wide receiver: The Patriots invested some considerable resources in their wide receiver position this offseason, signing Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne in free agency to fill starter-level roles alongside Jakobi Meyers. The depth behind the trio could be upgraded, though: N’Keal Harry has not yet lived up to his status as a former first-round draft pick, while Gunner Olszewski is on the team for his return skills rather than his receiving.

Cornerback: With Stephon Gilmore in Carolina and Jonathan Jones on season-ending injured reserve, the Patriots might want to upgrade their cornerback depth. The question is whether or not the team finds suitable updates over current rotational/emergency options Joejuan Williams, Myles Bryant and Shaun Wade.

News and rumors tracker

• The Patriots did not make any moves ahead of the trade deadline. | Report
• The Denver Broncos are trading cornerback Kary Vincent Jr. to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2022 sixth-round draft pick. | Source
• The Jets are trading tight end Dan Brown to the Chiefs for offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. | Source
• Teams have inquired about Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. | Source
• The Houston Texans are sending edge rusher Charles Omenihu to the San Francisco 49ers for a future late-round draft choice. | Source
• The Cleveland Browns have no interest in trading Odell Beckham Jr. | Source
• The Kansas City Chiefs have acquired linebacker Melvin Ingram from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh will receive a sixth-round draft pick from the reigning AFC champions. | Source
• The Carolina Panthers have received calls about cornerback A.J. Bouye. | Source
• The Denver Broncos have had discussions about trading cornerback Kyle Fuller, but no move is imminent. | Source
• The Dallas Cowboys will likely sit out this year’s trade deadline. Appearing on local radio, Jerry Jones said that “I don’t look for us to be doing anything today.” | Source
• The Chicago Bears are “unlikely” to trade wide receiver Allen Robinson. | Source
• The Houston Texans trading star quarterback Deshaun Watson to the Miami Dolphins before the deadline is “regarded as unlikely at this time.” | Source