For most of the summer, the potential of the Patriots trading a wide receiver hung over the roster. Given the depth at the position made apparent during camp, numerous reports indicated calls were being made by other teams trying to acquire one of the pass-catchers in Foxborough. Ultimately though, no deal was struck as the season began.

With the NFL trade deadline a few weeks away though, those reports have returned. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote that the phone is still ringing down in Foxborough.

(Click here to subscribe to Patriots Audio on 98.5 The Sports Hub.)

“Multiple teams have called the New England Patriots about wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, a talented run-after-catch guy with a reasonable $3.5 million salary. The Patriots have been inclined to keep him, but teams have a few weeks to change their minds,” Fowler wrote on ESPN.com, with those ‘few weeks’ referring to the impending NFL trade deadline on Nov. 1. He added that “Nelson Agholor is a name that comes up in discussions across the league, too.”

Bourne has been discussed as a possible trade piece for the Patriots since it became apparent during training camp that he was going to have a reduced role in 2022. At the time, his team-friendly contract – which runs through the 2023 season – was cited as a reason the team preferred to hold onto him. Now, Fowler notes that “Bourne would welcome a change in uniform due to declining opportunities.”

Agholor’s name didn’t come up as much this summer, but he may be trending towards ending up as the “odd-man out” of the Patriots’ receiver room. Despite posting impressive numbers to start the season, he already has two costly fumbles this year, plus a drop that turned directly into an interception. His current drop rate is 10.5 percent, which is the ninth-highest among qualified receivers this year. He left the game against the Lions two weeks ago with a hamstring injury, and then was inactive last week. Agholor is in the final year of a two-year, $22 million contract he signed with the team last year as a free agent.

Fowler doesn’t specify which teams have called on either receiver. He does note though that the Las Vegas Raiders are “always one to watch” given the familiarity between the two organizations. Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels was the long-time offensive coordinator in New England, and his GM Dave Ziegler was a member of the Patriots’ front office from 2013-2021, finishing his tenure as the director of player personnel.

What could the Patriots get in return if they did move on from either receiver? The closest comp right now is a deal that happened earlier this week, that sent Robbie Anderson from the Panthers to the Cardinals for a future sixth and seventh round draft pick. Granted there are some extenuating circumstances there – Anderson was dealt following a blowup with the Panthers’ coaching staff on the sideline on Sunday. While that certainly hurt his value, the deal is the first major wide receiver trade of the season and will be used by teams to some extent to determine value when dealing with wide receivers leading up to this year’s deadline.

Keeping that in mind, the next question becomes is it worth it for the Patriots to make one of these deals. The emergence of rookie Tyquan Thornton has certainly helped expand the depth, and the team still has Lil’Jordan Humphrey on the practice squad. Those two, plus Jakobi Meyers – who has been the team’s top target since returning from injury two weeks ago – and DeVante Parker certainly give the team enough depth at the position but the margin to lose one of those players would be significantly slimmer.

As Fowler notes, there’s still plenty of time for the situations to change between now and the Nov. 1 trade deadline which is 14 days away. It does appear though that – at least for these two weeks – the wide receiver trade rumors from this summer are back and aren’t going away.

Kendrick Bourne 2022 game log

Nelson Agholor 2022 game log

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at [email protected].