How Patriots have same problem as Packers in NFL trade market

How Patriots have same problem as Packers in NFL trade market originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New England Patriots are 2-2 in the regular season after four weeks, and so are the Green Bay Packers, despite both teams’ rough start to the season.

Now seemingly back on track, the Patriots and Packers have a lot more in common than their .500 records. Through four weeks, both teams have the same huge problem with one position group.

As ESPN’s Dan Graziano highlighted, the Patriots and Packers are both going to have a trade market problem with a huge offensive line need that will not easily be resolved this season.

Patriots, Packers dealing with same OL trade problem

“It’s tough to swing trades for offensive linemen, since the demand massively outweighs the supply,” Graziano writes. “But teams that could/should be in the market include the Patriots, Ravens, Eagles, and, of course, the Packers, who have been signing dudes out of retirement the past couple of weeks because their line has completely fallen apart.”

Fittingly enough, not long after Graziano made this point, the Philadelphia Eagles actually traded away center/guard Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens.

But the cost of the trade is why Patriots and Packers fans might have a tough time justifying an acquisition of a new offensive lineman.

MORE: Chiefs reportedly could bring back Tyreek Hill after Rashee Rice, Tyquan Thornton injuries

Jurgens, who’s struggled this season at both guard and center, was dealt for a 2027 fifth-rounder and a 2028 second-rounder. Two very valuable picks for a struggling lineman show just how pricey trades for starting-caliber linemen can get.

For the Patriots and the Packers, both teams that have lost key starters for the rest of the season, finding a trade for a new lineman is not going to be easy.

On the off chance that someone becomes available who would be a major upgrade, the price tag for such a trade is likely to be very high.

The Patriots might end up having a big offensive line problem this season, especially considering plenty of contenders, mainly the Packers, are likely in the market for OL help as well.

More NFL news: