Even after the addition of Stefon Diggs, the New England Patriots are still in the market for wide receiver help. In this trade pitch, the Patriots call up the Atlanta Falcons for a deal, swapping wide receivers.
For this trade pitch, the Patriots send the fifth round pick they received from the Dallas Cowboys in the Joe Milton III trade, along with draft bust Ja’Lynn Polk to the Falcons for Darnell Mooney.
Giving Drake Maye a good deep threat in Mooney would be a huge addition to the offense, and he’d complement Diggs well. His field-stretching ability, combined with Diggs’s presence, would make the wide receiver corps in New England one to keep an eye on in 2025.
Mooney is 27 years old and coming off his second-best season as a pro. He finished with 64 receptions on 106 targets for 992 yards and five touchdowns. Mooney is under contract for 2025 and 2026, with cap hits of $14,480,000 and $16,980,000, respectively.
The Falcons need draft capital desperately, with only five picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Adding a fifth round pick, in the middle of their 100-pick gap between selections on day three, would make a lot of sense for Atlanta.
With the looming Drake London contract extension, and the lack of draft capital in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Falcons sending Mooney to New England is mutually beneficial.
Michael Penix is the Falcons’ starting quarterback going forward, and the move would pair him with Polk, his former college teammate at Washington. This trade pitch hinges upon the Falcons’ belief that they can fix Polk after a disastrous rookie season.
New England moving off of Polk one year after being the 37th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft wouldn’t be shocking. His first year in New England was terrible, and a new regime might not want him on the roster.
On 33 targets, Polk had just 12 receptions for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Polk also had four drops and a passer rating of 52.5 when targeted. He was also the third-lowest-graded wide receiver, according to Pro Football Focus.
Atlanta would add much-needed draft capital, while taking a swing on a cheap receiver the Patriots have no interest in keeping. It’s a mutually beneficial deal, as teams swap receivers that better fit both organizations.
The Patriots would be moving off a draft bust and a fifth-rounder in exchange for a dynamic deep-threat receiver for Maye. It would reshape the Patriots’ wide receiver room and move off a mistake from the 2024 draft class.