Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald has come up in trade rumors again this year and with the New England Patriots struggling on offense with Tom Brady, some have speculated that a deal could go down between the teams after the Pats offense has struggled with Aaron Dobson, Danny Amendola and Rob Gronkowski and now Kenbrell Thompkins has been cut.
After losing last weekend in bad fashion to the Chiefs, the Patriots bounced back in a big way against the Cincinnati Bengals, making everyone who criticized Tom Brady and Bill Belichick last week look foolish. While they do have some egg on their faces now, the Patriots still have struggled overall on offense and the move this week to cut Kenbrell Thompkins, a Tom Brady favorite, raised some questions about Brady's future and the offense. Clearly the team answered some of those questions about the Bengals, but many wonder if the offense can remain successful this season.
According to ESPN.com writer John Weinfuss, Larry Fitzgerald likely will be a trade target coming up this season and next year, as his contract is getting very expensive and the Cardinals have not been using him quite as much as in the past. Fitzgerald is on a seven-year, $113 million deal and moving forward he will have $8 million and $15 million hits over the next couple seasons and that could lead to a trade. Fitzgerald and his value will only go down as he gets older and the Cardinals may try and capitalize on it while he is still an elite player.
Weinfuss writes that the New England Patriots could be an option for Fitzgerald, as they have had issues getting playmakers around Tom Brady. The team looks like they are shedding salary rather than taking it on with the Logan Mankins move and other changes, but there always is a chance they pull the trigger. The Cardinals will need to continue making moves going forward, as they have a number of players hitting free agency next year and that could lead to them looking to trade Fitzgerald.
The Patriots could be deadly with Fitzgerald and while he has a high price tag, the team has made moves to get veterans before with Randy Moss and Corey Dillon. Fitzgerald has only 13 catches for 164 yards this season and with Michael Floyd emerging as another number one threat, he could be moved. The Patriots issue would be what they would be willing to trade, as they treat draft picks as very valuable assets and that likely is what the Cardinals would want.
The Patriots let go of Kenbrell Thompkins this week and many scratched their heads at that move, as he had been one of the better receivers for the Pats over the past year. Thompkins only had six catches this season before getting cut and it came after he started eight games last season as a rookie. Thompkins was an undrafted free agent, so the Pats did not waste a pic there, but he had a solid season with 32 receptions for 446 yards and four touchdowns in 2013. The team now has Brandon LaFell, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Aaron Dobson as their main wideouts and after beating the Bengals, the team is feeling much better than after their loss to the Chiefs.
