The New England Patriots have largely revamped their offensive weaponry this offseason, adding significant pieces at both running back and wide receiver. However, one area has essentially remained untouched: tight end.
The Patriots actually have a very solid pair of tight ends in Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper, the latter of whom re-signed with New England back in March. Both players developed a strong bond with quarterback Drake Maye in 2024, so the Pats understandably wanted to maintain the duo.
However, there has been some conjecture that the Patriots could try to trade for another talented player at the position. Atlanta Falcons star Kyle Pitts was floated as a potential target, and a lesser known name that some mentioned was Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer.
Mayer was viewed as a potential trade piece as a result of the Raiders clearly going all in on Brock Bowers (and why wouldn't they?), but apparently, Las Vegas has no intention of placing Mayer on the trade block, as Vincent Bonsignore of The Las Vegas Review Journal reported.
The Raiders selected Mayer in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He appeared to have a bright future in Vegas and flashed tantalizing potential during his rookie campaign when he caught 27 passes for 304 yards and a couple of touchdowns. His role, however, was severely diminished the second Las Vegas drafted Bowers last year.
While trading Mayer would make sense for the Raiders, the Patriots honestly never made much sense as a destination to begin with. New England does not need a tight end right now. Instead, the Pats actually need an elite wide receiver, particularly if Stefon Diggs is unable to regain his form after recovering from his torn ACL.
If the Patriots really felt tight end was a pressing need, they would have taken one with one of their 11 draft picks this past April.
