As the New England Patriots prepare for their Week 1 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at Paycor Stadium, there are still many questions about the team for the present and future.
Who will the team build around? Will they commit to spending more in the offseason? What positions will they target?
New England has some talented pieces that are set to hit the market next offseason, so it's no surprise that Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox listed cornerback Jonathan Jones as a player who could be traded in the near future.
Jones, 30, is set to enter the final year of his contract, and he's been a bright spot on the Patriots defense for years. In fact, he's the longest-tenured player on that side of the ball for the team.
Over his first eight seasons, Jones has appeared in 115 games, recording 378 tackles (four for a loss), 51 passes defensed, 11 interceptions, eight forced fumbles, seven quarterback hits, 2.5 sacks and two fumbles recovered.
As Knox notes, the Patriots are already not expected to have the best record in 2024 partially due to a lack of talent and their strength of schedule, so they may want to get something back for a guy who they may move on from after the season anyway.
Knox lists the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as potential landing spots for Jones if he were to be traded.
However, there is a large downside to trading Jones, as it would really signal to the players (if they haven't been signaled already by not signing better offensive linemen or pass-catchers or trading Matthew Judon) that the team isn't trying to win games in 2024. That could lead to problems in a locker room that might not be able to handle them.
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