Sports
Wolf: Pats willing to trade a top pick to help team
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots have the most salary cap space in the NFL, and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said Monday that the team is open for business if a significant trade opportunity presents itself.
“Yeah, absolutely. We’re talking to all 31 teams and trying to do what’s best for us,” Wolf said before the team’s practice. “I think those things are often a lot more complicated than the fans and some others would like to make you believe. But if there is something we think can help us, we’d definitely be open to it.”
The Patriots, who are 2-0 in the preseason and have shown notable improvement under first-year coach Mike Vrabel, have about $60 million in cap space.
Asked specifically whether the franchise would be willing to part with a first- or second-round draft choice in a hypothetical trade, Wolf said: “Sure. Just doing what’s best for the team. If there was a player out there that we feel like can help us, and it costs that, then we would consider doing that.”
Wolf’s remarks come at a time when multiple high-profile stars across the NFL — a group including Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson and Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin — have been at a contract impasse with their respective teams.
One potential hurdle for New England in a possible bold move is its longer-range salary cap outlook.
Earlier in training camp, Vrabel noted how the Patriots entered this season with a two-year plan for the salary cap and have been intentional about following that plan. The team is currently over the salary cap for 2026, a year in which second-team All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez will be eligible for a contract extension for the first time.
Asked Monday about how New England views its abundance of cap space, and whether that reflects that the brain trust doesn’t see the team as a contender, Wolf said: “It’s a big-picture view. Also, we have the quarterback [Drake Maye] on a rookie contract. I certainly think we spent a lot of money in free agency this year, so I don’t think it’s indicative of where we think we are as a team.”
After benefiting from good fortune in 2024, Washington is among the NFL’s unluckiest teams in 2025, according to metrics compiled by an NFL data scientist.
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Kiffin wanted to stay at Mississippi through the College Football Playoff even after taking the job at LSU. That only made sense on television.
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Legendary England batter Geoffrey Boycott on Monday advised the Ben Stokes-led side to adopt a more strategic and thoughtful approach ahead of the second Ashes Test against Australia, scheduled for Thursday in Brisbane.
England suffered an agonising eight-wicket defeat in the series opener in Perth, which lasted less than two days, the first of which was dominated by the touring side as they had reduced the hosts to 123/9 after accumulating 172 all out.
The visitors now face another gruelling challenge in the blockbuster series as they take on the Baggy Greens in a pink-ball Test, in which the hosts boast a dominant record, having lost just one out of their previous 14 appearances, but Boycott, who has won Ashes both in England and Australia, believes that the Three Lions can win the upcoming game by adopting a calculated strategy.
He, however, warned England batters of self-destruction, advising them to “use their brains” and decide whether to attack or hold back after analysing the situation.
“But it doesn’t help our chances of success if Ben Stokes keeps encouraging our batsmen to attack, attack with one finger hovering over the self-destruct button,” Boycott wrote in his Daily Telegraph column.
“Nobody is asking the players to stop being positive because they have given us some marvellous, thrilling and entertaining cricket. All we ask is for them to use their brains and realise there are times when they should throttle back and be aware of situations and bat accordingly,” he added.
Boycott, who represented England in 108 Tests and 36 ODIs, also slammed Stokes for his comments in which he referred to former cricketers as “has-beens” but expressed satisfaction over the all-rounder’s partial apology.
“To call past players ‘has-beens’ was disrespectful, especially as some of those ‘has-beens’ played in teams that won the Ashes in England and Australia,” Boycott wrote.
“I am glad Ben has half apologised, saying it was a slip of the tongue, because none of this team has won the Ashes in Australia. Get the job done, because then you don’t need to say anything and you can bask in all the glory coming your way.”
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