1. Rashid Shaheed
If the Patriots make no other trades, they must make this one. Drake Maye is the league’s most efficient deep passer by a wide margin, and he’s done it all without a traditional deep threat. Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte can pressure defenses deep, but neither player possesses the deep speed to consistently break past defenders. Rashid Shaheed has that, and he’d be a perfect for this offense.
Shaheed is entering the final year of his contract, and the cash-strapped New Orleans Saints likely don’t have the financial resources to re-sign the veteran speedster. Seeing as they don’t have a realistic shot at the playoffs, they might as well trade Shaheed for whatever they can get, rather than watch him walk for nothing in free agency. The Patriots, meanwhile, know firsthand that an elite quarterback can carry any team to a deep playoff run, especially if he has the proper supporting cast. Rashid Shaheed and Drake Maye won’t make anyone forget about Tom Brady and Randy Moss, but the duo should make this offense even more dangerous.
