The New England Patriots may look at a Vincent Jackson trade with the Buccaneers if the WR is shopped at the deadline and it could be an option for the team if Brandon LaFell, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Aaron Dobson struggle against the Chicago Bears for Tom Brady, as the team had some offensive issues early in the season, although they have looked better in recent weeks.
NFL.com reported that the Buccaneers may consider trading Jackson, as the team is having a rough season and he has a big contract. That news came after the Percy Harvin trade and many wondered if a deal like that could go down again. The Patriots had been mentioned as an option earlier in the season as a destination if a WR was traded, as Tom Brady and the offense did not look good and all that culminated in a bad Monday night loss against the Chiefs.
ESPN and others started going off on the Patriots, wondering if the Brady era was over, but instead, the team bounced back and has not lost since. The media was absolutely stupid to look at things that way and that's just what ESPN does now -if you lose or have a bad game you're the worst team/player in the world and your career is over and if you win, you are the best team/player in the world and are a hall of famer-but Brady and the Patriots proved them very wrong.
But just because the team has played well doesn't mean they shouldn't look at a deal and while the big money moves are not what the Pats do, this season they could look at a deal. The team is likely to win the division over the Jets, Bills and Dolphins, but the AFC has some tough teams like the Colts and Broncos and the Pats may need some more firepower to get it done. The team lost Stevan Ridley for the season and while he is an RB, it could change how the offense rolls along the rest of the season.
Jackson has had a couple of very good seasons with the Buccaneers despite playing with some bad quarterbacks and he could be moved at the trading deadline. According to Pro Football Talk, Lovie Smith said that the team is not shopping players and is not looking to trade Jackson, but that could change once the deadline gets closer. Jackson has 25 catches this season for 344 yards and over the past two years he has not missed any games and has combined for 15 touchdowns. Jackson previously signed a five-year, $55 million deal and over the next couple years he has about a $10 million salary per season.
Edelman has been the best target for Brady this season and he has 44 catches for 452 yards and one TD on the year. Edelman had his first 100 catch and 1K yard season last year and he is on his way to having another one this season. LaFell has emerged as a solid option for the Pats, but Amendola has been terrible and that is another reason why the team could look at a trade. Amendola has five catches this season for 42 yards and that is in seven games.
