Now that the New England Patriots have parted ways with legendary coach Bill Belichick they’ve officially entered rebuild mode. And as is the case with most teams who are ready to start over, some stars will be put on the trading block.
Part of the so-called “youth movement” in Foxborough will include placing former first-round wideout DeVante Parker on the trade block.
Parker was taken by the Miami Dolphins with the 14th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft and had a breakout season in 2019 with 72 catches for 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns with Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing him the ball.
Two seasons later he arrived in New England via trade and has not duplicated that success. In 2023 he accounted for just 33 catches for 394 yards and no scores while showing frustration toward both is role on the team and the quarterback play.
Per The Athletic, the Patriots are now looking to move Parker and will take what they can get for him at this point.
“Due to the contract extension Belichick gave the now-31-year-old wideout last season, it’s not easy to cut Parker before June 1,” The Athletic reported. “If they do, they’d incur more than $6 million in dead cap while opening little additional cap space. But in what could be a bit of a loophole, they could clear more than $3 million in cap space if they trade Parker.
“So look for the Patriots to dangle Parker in trade talks in the coming weeks even if they would get only a late-round pick in return.”
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The Ravens will be looking to replace Odell Beckham Jr. and maybe even Devin Duvernay – will both be free agents when the new league year starts on March 13.
With last year’s first-round pick Zay Flowers entering Year 2, Baltimore could use a No. 2 wideout who can also be an inexpensive veteran. Parker could fit that bill well for the Ravens.