The New England Patriots went into the offseason fully understanding that they desperately needed to add weapons for quarterback Drake Maye, and they did just that by signing wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins in free agency and nabbing fellow receiver Kyle Williams via the NFL Draft.
However, you can't help but feel that the Patriots' receiving corps is still lacking in top-end talent, especially considering that Diggs is coming off of a torn ACL.
Is it possible that New England could make a blockbuster move to further address the position?
While most of the big names (like D.K. Metcalf and George Pickens, for example) have already come and gone, there is another wide out who continues to be floated in trade speculation: New Orleans Saints star Chris Olave.
Sara Marshall of Musket Fire has pitched the idea for the Pats, noting that Derek Carr's sudden retirement could push the Saints to move their No. 1 pass-catcher.
"Although he is the offense's WR1 as it currently stands, the Saints might be in sell mode and will want to add as much draft capital to their stock as possible," Marshall wrote. "That could mean they'll want to trade perhaps their best asset, Olave, and the Patriots could be the ones to make a deal happen."
Here's the problem, though: Olave's trade value is at an all-time low due to the fact that he played in just eight games last season due to a pair of concussions, bringing his total to five concussions dating back to his college days at Ohio State.
Olave has two years of club control remaining on his contract, which is obviously nice, but would New England — or any team for that matter — be willing to part with substantial draft capital to land a player who may be compromised?
When healthy, Olave is a stud, as evidenced by the fact that he posted back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns in 2022 and 2023 to begin his NFL career, but he is clearly a major injury risk, and it seems unlikely that the Saints would sell him on the cheap.
