Ranking 5 recent Patriots trades for high profile wide receivers

New England Patriots

Rumors about AJ Brown being traded continue to circulate. Here’s a look at some of New England’s impactful wide receiver deals over the years.

The trade rumors surrounding AJ Brown aren’t going to stop anytime soon, and the Patriots have long been pegged as the best team to get him.

Although Brown is not producing at his usual rate in 2025, he is still only 28 years old and could be an impactful addition to any team if the Eagles decide to deal him.

However, given the structure of his contract, a Brown deal is unlikely to happen until after June 1. Philadelphia would absorb far less dead money than the salary cap if it waited until the summer.

As teams await the ramifications of a potential Brown sweepstakes, here are five wide receiver trades in recent memory, and how each acquisition played out for the Patriots.

Randy Moss

This was the best-case scenario for the Patriots, as they acquired Moss from the Raiders for only a fourth-round pick. Moss returned to form for the Minnesota Vikings and set an NFL record for most touchdowns in a single season with 23.

He accomplished it in his first season in New England, and the record still stands nearly 20 years later. He had over 3,900 receiving yards and 50 touchdowns Across his four seasons with the franchise.

Although Moss did not win a Super Bowl with the Patriots, he was a big reason they won two AFC Championships (2007, 2011). Moss is one of the best receivers in NFL history, and New England took four years from him as a Day 3 draft pick.

analysis: Home run acquisition.

Wes Welker

Somehow, two of the best wide receiver trades the Patriots have made in the past 25 years came in 2007.

The same year they brought in Moss, New England acquired another franchise cornerstone in Wes Welker from the Miami Dolphins. His chemistry with Moss was great, and he quickly turned into one of the most prolific slot receivers in the NFL at the time.

Like Moss, Welker also never won a Super Bowl with the Patriots. But he paved the way for other slot receivers to find success in New England’s system.

analysis: A solid addition, and even better as a complementary piece to Moss.

Brandin Cox

The decline after Moss and Welker is fairly significant, but Cooks was still an important addition to the end of the Brady era in New England.

Cox’s 2017 season saw him rack up 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns, which is certainly a massive stat line for him based on his numbers with New Orleans. The only problem with Cox is that he was only in town for that one season, as the Patriots traded him to the Rams in 2018.

Cooks has topped 1,000 receiving yards in three of his next four seasons, so it’s possible Bill Belichick could give up on him too soon. But either way, the Brandin Cooks trade wasn’t as good as it might have been on paper.

analysis: It filled a need, but wasn’t around long enough to be a needle mover.

Brandon Lloyd

Lloyd is in a very similar boat as Cooks, although his only season at Foxborough was a bit disappointing given the circumstances.

Although Lloyd was in his 10th season when the Patriots acquired him in 2012, he was just one year removed from his best receiving season ever. Lloyd recorded 1,448 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2010 with the Broncos. Josh McDaniels was his head coach during that crucial year in his career.

So, when Belichick acquired him in 2012 and brought him back to McDaniels’ staff, he was certainly hoping that lightning would strike twice. To his credit, Lloyd didn’t have a bad year. But 911 yards and four touchdowns weren’t great either.

Lloyd wasn’t playing football in 2013, and after one 294-yard season in 2014, he was out of the league for good. It’s safe to say that the Lloyd’s acquisition has been largely forgotten.

analysis: Remarkably disappointing.

Josh Gordon

Overall, Josh Gordon’s career is full of questions. But if he could have stuck with the Patriots, it’s easy to believe he would have thrived long-term with Tom Brady.

Gordon proved he still had plenty of resources when he was acquired by New England in 2018. Unfortunately, his off-field issues followed him to Foxboro and cut short his time with the team.

However, Gordon was the real threat for the future when he was available. He recorded over 700 receiving yards in 11 games in 2018 before being suspended again in December.

Technically, he’s the only receiver of those five to win a ring with the Patriots, even though he wasn’t present for the playoff run itself.

analysis: It didn’t work, but it would have been incredible.