In recent years the month of October has been the New England Patriots top time to conduct business. The Patriots traded away Jamie Collins on Halloween a couple years back and at the NFL trade deadline last year they shipped out Jimmy Garoppolo. Here are NFL Trade Rumors Demaryius Thomas Patriots Packers talks from around the league.
Waiting out the market has always been a Bill Belichick staple, as you rarely see the Pats go after top free agents that will demand big money in March. If the Denver Broncos and John Elway are serious about trading DeMaryius Thomas by the NFL trade deadline next Tuesday, expect the Patriots to be at the front of those talks. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported back in August that the Patriots were a team to keep an eye on if Thomas became available, citing his history with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
You can bet on where Thomas will be traded to now at FanDuel Sportsbook.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday that a “handful of teams” had already reached out to the Broncos about Thomas. One of those teams was likely the Cowboys, who coughed up a first round pick for Amari Cooper in an NFL trade on Monday. Dallas likely wasn’t giving that up for Thomas despite the fact that he is a better receiver at the moment. Thomas is 30-years-old, while Cooper is still just 24. It also helps a great deal that Cooper is on the hook for just $700,000 the rest of this year.
Thomas is under contract through just the end of next season, but he is pricey at $14 million in 2019.
That price tag, coupled with Thomas’ proclivity for drops, might be too much for the fiscally prudent Patriots to bear.
The Packers would need to play salary cap gymnastics to fit Thomas onto their roster as Aaron Rodgers’ cap hit will be $26.5 million in 2019. That said, Rodgers’ base salary will be just $1.1 million in 2019 so it is possible.
The Packers’ offense would be lethal if it were able to add Thomas, placing him opposite Davante Adams. Thomas is still an incredibly productive receiver as he had 83 catches for 949 yards and five touchdowns last season despite the likes of Paxton Lynch and Brock Osweiler throwing him the ball. Thomas was a sure bet for 100 catches and 1,300 yards when Peyton Manning was behind center in Denver.
