When looking at the New England Patriots' biggest needs ahead of this offseason, one that resides at the top of the list is the wide receiver position.
The last time the Patriots had a 1,000-plus yard pass catcher on the roster was in 2019 with Julian Edelman, meaning this team is due for some improvements at receiver, whether that comes via the draft, free agency acquisition, or a trade.
One of those candidates in the mix who could bring a boost to this Patriots offense could be Los Angeles Rams receiver Cooper Kupp –– a Super Bowl-winning, former All-Pro talent who recently announced that the team would be looking for a trade involving him after eight years of service.
And in the eyes of an NFL executive, the Patriots need to be involved in the sweepstakes.
"Execs predict Rams receiver Cooper Kupp will have a trade market because he's quarterback-friendly, makes contested catches and is the type of first-one-in, last-one-out worker who resonates with a new team," ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler reported. "As one AFC exec said, the Patriots would be "foolish" not to entertain a deal, given their receiver situation."
Kupp isn't quite the triple crown-winning receiver he was during his historic 2021 season, but would still be a significant target to account for in any NFL offense –– and especially so for New England.
During the 12 games he played in 2024, Kupp posted 710 yards on 67 catches and six touchdowns, averaging just under 60 yards a game. He's struggled with injuries across his last three seasons, but when healthy, it's hard for opposing defenses to ignore him.
For the Patriots, Kupp could be a huge addition to a team desperate for weapons, and as a veteran presence to surround Drake Maye and this young offensive unit. Whether a potential move to land him was to come via trade or eventual release and signing, New England has the means and finances to make the move happen.
Kupp is due $20 million in 2025, which is a large financial pill to swallow, but New England holds the most available cap space in the NFL this offseason at over $100 million. If the Patriots wanted to ensure some steps forward on the offensive end for Maye's second season, an acquisition of the Rams receiver could do that.
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Quarterback Aaron Rodgers spent the bulk of the spring as an unsigned free agent and, thus, only began officially practicing with Pittsburgh Steelers teammates during the team's three-day mandatory minicamp in June. During a Monday appearance on Pittsburgh radio station 102.5 WDVE, Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette addressed how Rodgers looked during his first few training camp practices with the club. "His release is just astonishing to watch," Dulac said about Rodgers, as shared by Ross McCorkle of Steelers Depot. "Everybody knows about it, and when you see it in person, you see it every day in practice, you just marvel at it. To me, he's the greatest thrower of the football I have ever seen, even at 41 (years old). That flick of that wrist and that ball comes out, it's moving and it is something to see." Rodgers was with the New York Jets when he suffered a torn Achilles four offensive snaps into the 2023 regular-season opener. He was then slowed by a nagging hip issue, injuries to both his knees, a low ankle sprain and a serious hamstring problem as the 2024 Jets went 5-12. According to Pro Football Reference, Rodgers finished last season ranked 28th in the NFL among qualified players with a 48.0 adjusted QBR and 26th with a 43.9 percent passing success rate. That said, he was also eighth with 3,897 passing yards and tied for seventh with 28 passing touchdowns. Rodgers and Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson endured some struggles during training camp sessions last summer before the two allegedly "never saw eye-to-eye" during the season. It sounds like Pittsburgh fans should be encouraged by how Rodgers performed in recent practices. "That guy can get rid of the ball as quick as anybody," Dulac added. "He made three throws in seven-on-seven (drills) the other day that the cumulative total I bet couldn't have exceeded 2.1 seconds. And two of those were for touchdowns." Rodgers wants to finish his career "the right way" and help the Steelers notch at least their first playoff win since January 2017. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Pittsburgh at -150 betting odds to miss the playoffs for the upcoming season.
Would the New York Yankees still be a heavyweight contender without Aaron Judge? Most fans would doubt it. What comes as a shock is that Yankees general manager, Brian Cashman, appears to agree. According to MLB insider Andy Martino of SNY, Cashman had explored the option of selling ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline (6 p.m. EST) if Judge’s flexor strain had turned out to be something worse. Martino wrote this: “[On Saturday], we relayed that the Yankees were floating some of their free-agent-to-be relievers in preliminary trade talks. We have since learned through league sources that last week the Yanks brought up Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt in talks with at least one other club.” It would be strange to see a team with a record well above .500 shop core hitters at the deadline. Both Bellinger and Goldschmidt — hitting .281/.333/.507 with 19 home runs and .283/.341/.419 with eight home runs respectively entering Tuesday — have been valuable producers for the Yankees this year. Goldschmidt signed a one-year deal with the Bronx Bombers over the offseason while Bellinger was acquired via trade with the Cubs. He is signed through 2026 but has a player option at the end of the year. Either player would bring a nice haul back to the Yankees. Of course, the reigning AL MVP’s injury doesn’t seem to be a season-altering, ‘abandon ship’ type of event. Optimistically, Judge should be back soon. But this does serve to illustrate how the team’s success is dependent on one player. Beyond Judge, the Yankees’ batting order doesn’t feature a star-caliber player, or at least a player the lineup can be built around. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, New York lacks enough solid hitters to be considered a worthy contender without Judge. The Yankees’ three bottom-of-the-order hitters — Austin Wells (.214), Anthony Volpe (.213) and newest acquisition Ryan McMahon (.223) — all own batting averages below .230 entering Tuesday. And this doesn’t include J.C. Escarra (.205), Oswald Peraza (.152) or even Ben Rice (.229). If Judge was lost for the season, selling wouldn’t have been a bad idea. He is insoluble glue holding the battered Yankees’ roster together, especially with Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt gone for the year. No one on the trade market could replace him, but with Judge coming back, the Yankees might have enough firepower to at least limp to the finish line.
Jonathan Kuminga has remained a free agent this offseason. There's no telling how his situation will resolve itself with the Golden State Warriors, but ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel has confirmed that the Sacramento Kings are among his interested suitors. It's unclear if the Warriors want to keep Kuminga around, but it's also clear that if he wants to join another team, they wouldn't want to lose him for nothing. One way the Warriors and Kings could resolve the Kuminga situation is by agreeing to a sign-and-trade that would swap Kuminga for players on the Kings roster. It would depend on who the Warriors would want in return for Kuminga. The Kings have some players to offer in exchange for the wing, like DeMar DeRozan or Devin Carter, so getting them would be something for Kuminga. However, even if the Warriors could entertain a sign-and-trade for the young wing, they're not interested in those two Kings. More than that, Sacramento may want Kuminga but only at a fair price. Sam Amick revealed the details during his appearance on Warriors Plus/Minus. "My understanding is the Warriors weren't interested in Carter or DeRozan," Amick said, which was aggregated by 95.7 The Game's Evan Giddings. "As of a couple weeks ago, the Kings weren't willing to pay Kuminga into the $20 million range (per year)." DeRozan is a six-time All-Star who will enter the second year of a three-year, $78.9 million contract. The Warriors are not above either of the NBA's tax aprons at the moment, while the Kings are hard-capped at the first apron.
Andrew Vaughn’s arrival in Milwaukee has marked a season-changing chapter in both his career and in the Brewers' season. Traded from the Chicago White Sox on June 13 in exchange for starting pitcher Aaron Civale, Vaughn arrived in Milwaukee with a career slash line of .248/.303/.407 with 77 home runs in 610 games. Prior to the trade, Vaughn was struggling in 2025, slashing just .189/.218/.314 with five home runs and 19 RBI in 48 games. In his 15th game as a Brewer, Vaughn delivered his most dominant performance of the season Tuesday night against the Cubs. He went 3-for-4 with a career-high six RBI, highlighted by a towering 409-foot grand slam that broke the game wide open and extended Milwaukee’s lead. Vaughn's six RBI set a career high and tied for the second-most by a Brewer in a single game this season. Through his first 15 games in Milwaukee, Vaughn is slashing .375/.439/.771 with five home runs and 21 RBI. Since July 7, his 21 RBI rank third-most in MLB, trailing only the Athletics' Nick Kurtz and the Phillies' Kyle Schwarber. Milwaukee’s 9–3 victory sealed its third straight win against the Cubs, putting it two games ahead of Chicago atop the NL Central.
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