Patriots Reportedly Called Seahawks About Linebacker Ahead Of Trade Deadline

The New England Patriots didn’t make a deal on the trade deadline, but the team did check in on some players.

New England traded safety Kyler Dugger to the Pittsburgh Steelers and defensive end Keion White to the San Francisco 49ers. Although the Patriots are atop the AFC East, the team didn’t add any players, despite being interested in some.

NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported on NBC Boston’s “Early Edition” on Tuesday that the Patriots “made a call” on Boye Mafe of the Seattle Seahawks.

Mafe is in the final year of his four-year, $8.5 million rookie deal. The Seahawks selected the linebacker in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Mafe hasn’t had as much of an impact this season as in previous campaigns. Two seasons ago, he had nine sacks, while last season, he finished with 40 tackles, six sacks, and one forced fumble.

Although the Patriots didn’t make a move at the trade deadline, Breer believes it’s wise for general manager Eliot Wolf to keep all 11 picks.

“I still think the roster is a little ways away and you’re gonna need these picks,” Breer said. ” … I think the way you get better is you get a lot of hacks at it in the draft, because no one hits a thousand percent in the draft. I think the Patriots need a lot.

“Here’s the thing: Stefon Diggs isn’t forever. Robert Spillane isn’t forever. Hunter Henry is not forever. They have a lot of age on their roster, and we’re looking at some of these things, and again, they’re patching it together. It was the absolute right thing to do to handle it the way they did, but if you’re being responsible about that, you’re realizing, ‘Stefon Diggs is not gonna be our No. 1 receiver two years from now.'”

The Patriots are off to a 7-2 start and will go on the road to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.