What the Patriots could do at the trade deadline, more intel - ESPN

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