Patriots Aren't 'One Player Away,' Expected To Play It Safe

ESPN insider Mike Reiss does not expect the New England Patriots to send away a lot of draft capital to make a big-name trade this offseason.

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Patriots Aren't 'One Player Away,' Expected To Play It Safe

[Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby]

Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby

Evan Cormier

Mon, March 2, 2026 at 1:13 AM UTC·
1 min read

*Patriots Aren't 'One Player Away,' Expected To Play It Safe originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.*

The New England Patriots rebuilt the entire roster from the ground up in head coach Mike Vrabel’s first season at the helm. Many of the players Vrabel brought in that contributed to New England’s Super Bowl run are still under contract.

Even so, few teams in the league have more money to spend this offseason than the Patriots.

This has led to expectations – perhaps perpetuated by my colleagues and me – that the Patriots will take one big swing this offseason to add a real difference maker to the roster.

However, ESPN insider Mike Reiss doesn’t expect New England to center their offseason around the addition of a superstar.

“While they will always listen to trade possibilities for big-name stars they believe would help the team, they don't view themselves as the proverbial ‘one player away' from a return trip to the Super Bowl,” Reiss wrote. “Thus, they are less inclined to send a Micah Parsons-type draft-pick haul (two first-round picks and a starting-caliber player) to another team for a veteran star.”

He shared a quote from Vrabel about building the roster through the “cornerstone” of the team, the NFL Draft.

“We have to continue to draft well and develop because that's the only way you can sustain the success we envision," Vrabel said.

While a big-name trade is certainly still on the table, Reiss doesn’t foresee the Patriots crippling their draft capital to bring in a playmaker.

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