Patriots trade running back Sony Michel to the Rams for two late-round draft picks

Update 8/25/2021: Patriots trade running back Sony Michel to the Rams for two late-round draft picks

The Sony Michel trade is official, but the terms have changed compared to the original report. According to the NFL’s transactions wire, the Patriots are receiving two draft picks not tied to any conditions: New England will now get a sixth-round selection in 2022 as well as a fourth-round pick in 2023.

Update 8/25/2021: Patriots reportedly trade running back Sony Michel to the Rams for conditional late-round draft picks

While the upcoming season will decide what happens, it appears that the Patriots could get a fourth-round pick out of the Sony Michel trade when all is said and done.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the conditions of the trade are as follows: New England will get fifth- and sixth-round selections in 2022 that convert to one fourth-round pick if the Rams receive a fourth-rounder out of the NFL’s compensatory draft picks process. Essentially, the Patriots traded Michel for either one fourth or one fifth and one sixth.

Original story 8/25/2021: Patriots reportedly trade running back Sony Michel to the Rams for two late-round draft picks

Sony Michel’s time with the New England Patriots is over. The third-year running back will be traded to the Los Angeles Rams, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Patriots will reportedly receive two conditional late-round draft choices in return.

Michel first arrived in New England as the 31st selection in the 2018 draft. Since then, he has been an integral part of the team’s offense and has appeared in 42 combined regular season and playoff games between 2018 and 2020.

Along the way, he played a pivotal role in the organization winning Super Bowl 53 to cap his rookie campaign: Michel was already very good during the regular season by rushing for 931 yards and six touchdowns on 209 carries, but he elevated his game to a different level during the playoffs when he gained 336 yards on 71 carries and found the end zone six times.

Michel was not quite able to build on those positive moments, though. Injuries in particular have been an issue for him: he has missed significant time since joining the league, which in turn limited his overall output. In total, he has carried the football 620 times for 2,689 yards — an average of 4.3 yards per carry — and 20 touchdowns. He also has 29 receptions for an additional 276 yards and a score on his résumé.

While this is solid production, it was not enough for the team to pick up his fifth-year contract option earlier this offseason. The Patriots later also acquired fellow running back Rhamondre Stevenson in the fourth round of the draft.

With Michel now off to Los Angeles, the Patriots’ running back room now consists of projected lead back Damien Harris as well as Stevenson, James White, J.J. Taylor and Brandon Bolden.