What the Patriots could do at the trade deadline — and why it might not be much

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

1. Deadline chatter: The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, and fireworks aren’t expected with the Patriots.

There are multiple reasons, according to sources familiar with the team’s thinking, and near the top of the list is the unwillingness to sacrifice significant assets from future Patriots teams. The club already did that in the offseason by trading a 2028 first-round pick and 2027 fifth-rounder for receiver A.J. Brown in June, which was part of an overall aggressive offseason.

That doesn’t mean avenues to bolster the injury-ravaged 2026 Patriots haven’t and won’t be explored, per sources, but any potential trade is more likely to mirror some of the modest moves from the Bill Belichick era. For example, acquiring outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy and a seventh-round pick at the 2016 deadline in exchange for a sixth-round pick is the type of move that could fit the team’s approach, targeting depth at one of the current positions of need. It didn’t generate big headlines at the time, but in retrospect, it might be the franchise’s best deadline deal this century.

The Patriots have about $5 million in salary cap space, some of which they’ll need to account for standard in-season movement of players elevated from the practice squad and coming on and off injured reserve. Thus, they aren’t positioned to take on a higher-salaried player without creating more cap space first. The Patriots are 12th in the NFL in cash spending this season, according to OverTheCap.

They are also scheduled to depart for Munich on Wednesday in advance of next Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions, which adds a wrinkle to onboarding any potential acquisition by Tuesday’s deadline.

Another question that has lingered over the past week is the possibility of the 5-3 Patriots moving players. Sports Illustrated national NFL reporter Albert Breer said they have “listened and talked to other teams” about trading defensive tackle Christian Barmore, who is No. 3 on the depth chart and due to earn non-guaranteed salaries of $18 million in 2027 and $19 million in 2028, while counting for $23.6 million against the salary cap in 2027 and $24.6 million in 2028.

Due to those higher salary and cap figures, and Barmore now playing behind starters Milton Williams and Cory Durden, his spot on the team could be in jeopardy after this season.

The approaching trade deadline was noted in the locker room this past week by Patriots players, who said their primary focus is Sunday’s home game against the Green Bay Packers (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox).

“We see the reports. We see everything. Everybody has their phone. Once somebody posts something, it’s on every app you can go to, or somebody will send it to you,” said Williams, the sixth-year defensive tackle. “That’s the NFL, the business that we’re in. It’s tough seeing guys you’re going to war with mentioned in talks like that, but that just lets you know that nobody is safe in this business.

“It will have different effects on different people. Some people take it better than others. I’m going to tell our guys, ‘Use it as fuel, use it as motivation,’ because I don’t know where this information comes from. You just try to put your best foot forward every day, and when there are opportunities to make plays, make them, and I feel like the rest will take care of itself.”

2. Davis’ rebound: Starting Patriots cornerback Carlton Davis III (neck) didn’t finish last week’s win over the Dolphins and appeared to be in pain en route to the locker room, but by the end of this week he felt ready to go against the Packers despite being listed as questionable. How did it happen?

“There can be some truth to what was seen [in Miami], especially that being my first game back [after missing three weeks]. It was a physical game for me,” Davis explained. “I had still kind of been dealing with the injury, but in this league you have to be able to roll with the punches. When you take off 3-4 weeks from football and it’s your first time hitting/contact, it can be a little rough. You have to build that callous back up.

“So I was a little hurt after the game, but it was more soreness than actually hurt. We have a great recovery team here. Getting in every day with the [athletic] trainers, and staying on top of it, has been huge in me being able to be out there with the team. And also for me mentally feeling ready to go.”

3. Flex timing: The NFL has until Nov. 17 at the latest to decide if the Patriots’ Week 12 road game against the Chargers gets flexed out of Sunday night. The Chargers (0-7) host the Texans (2-5) this Sunday and then visit the Ravens (4-5) on “Monday Night Football” on Nov. 16.

Would the league keep a winless team in primetime? One reason Patriots-Chargers might stay is because it is being played the week of Thanksgiving and there are fewer choices to move to Sunday night — with a game Wednesday, three on Thursday, one on Friday and another Monday.

4. Maye impression: Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon highlighted one of the main challenges in facing Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, noting Maye’s ability to “get out of pressure, extend plays to throw and extend plays to run.” He said he first saw glimpses of it during Maye’s rookie season in 2024 when he started a late-season game against Gannon’s Cardinals team, and described the most recent work of Maye — who was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month — as “lights out.”

To Gannon’s point, Maye has five straight games with at least three passing or rushing touchdowns, the longest streak by any quarterback since the start of last season and the second-longest streak in Patriots history behind Tom Brady’s 10 straight in 2007.

5. IR designations: The Patriots have used four IR designations to return — on offensive tackle Marcus Bryant, receivers A.J. Brown and Mack Hollins, and center/guard Greg Van Roten — which means they have just four remaining for the regular season. They would get an additional two in the playoffs should they qualify. Who gets them?

Starting left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (hamstring) and starting receiver Romeo Doubs (shoulder) project as locks. Meanwhile, fullback Reggie Gilliam (knee/ankle), safety Dell Pettus (ankle), linebacker Khalil Jacobs (undisclosed) and outside linebacker Quintayvious Hutchins (knee) are others on IR who have been present in the locker room during media-access periods.

6. Elite Elliss: When Patriots defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr was asked last week about blue-chip players on his unit, and whether there was a player who might be overlooked in the media, he said he could pick a lot of them but mentioned starting linebacker Christian Elliss specifically. “That’s really the type of guy we love to coach here,” he said of Elliss, who leads the team in tackles (60) and worked his way up from core special teamer to defensive stalwart.

7. Packers WRs: The Packers lead the NFL with 33 completions of 20 or more yards, and Patriots practice squad receivers Kyle Dixon and Chandler Brayboy felt that this past week. Dixon played the role of Christian Watson (42 catches, 708 yards, 16.9 avg.) in practice, while Brayboy was Matthew Golden (43 catches, 619 yards, 14.4 avg.). “Tiring week,” Dixon said with a smile. “All those downfield routes.”

8. Brady’s presence: Rob Gronkowski was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame on Saturday, and one of the notable parts of the weekend was having Brady in attendance, with the schedule working out because Brady was in town to call the Packers-Patriots game for Fox the next day. This was the first Patriots Hall of Fame ceremony Brady has attended since leaving the franchise in 2020, other than his own.

9. They said it: “Now I call New England home. It really is a home for me and always will be for the rest of my life.” — Gronkowski, who still has a residence in Massachusetts

10. Did You Know: Since realignment in 2002, the Patriots and Packers are tied for the most playoff appearances with 18 each.