New England Patriots bolster future capital for potential blockbuster deal by offloading former high draft pick
The New England Patriots reversed course by trading away linebacker Marte Mapu after initially informing him of his release.
On Tuesday, the New England Patriots had initially informed former third-round pick Marte Mapu of his release. The linebacker/safety hybrid hadn’t quite found his footing in New England, and the team needed the roster space.
However, the Houston Texans came calling and struck a deal with the team before Mapu was released. The Texans will get Mapu and a 2027 seventh-round pick, while the Patriots will get a 2027 sixth-round pick.
Now, why would they be doing that? I wonder.
Could New England Patriots be bracing for blockbuster 2027 trade?
Recently, NFL insiders have all come together to admit that it feels like it’s only a matter of time before the Patriots trade for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown.
The Athletic’s Mike Sando reported that several anonymous NFL executives believe A.J. Brown will be traded to the New England Patriots in June. Sando quoted one executive who said it “seems just a matter of waiting until June 1 passes for Philly to trade A.J. Brown”.
The salary cap implications clear up for the Eagles post-June 1st. If the Eagles traded Brown before June 1st, they would incur a massive $43,515,506 dead cap hit, which would be one of the largest dead cap hits in NFL history. Much like the Micah Parsons deal last year (when he was traded essentially right after the preseason), the Eagles would be better off waiting until the summer.
If the Patriots do strike this deal after the June 1st deadline, it would obviously involve 2027 draft picks, and likely high draft picks. How does a team offset losing picks early? Simple: accumulating more later.
Look at the Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Rams did not have a first-round pick in 2023 but still made a whopping 14 picks. The Jaguars made a massive trade for Travis Hunter last year and still made nine picks in 2025 and have 11 picks in 2026.
Eliot Wolf has now maneuvered the board to give them multiple picks to help absorb a blockbuster trade. Thanks to the deals for Marte Mapu, Garrett Bradbury, and Ja’Lynn Polk, the Patriots now have two fifth-round picks and three sixth-round picks in the 2027 draft.
We’ll see if the deal gets done, but the Patriots have put themselves in a great spot either way.
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