4 most valuable Patriots trade assets they can use to acquire Justin Fields

More Realistic

1. S Jabril Peppers

After five up-and-down seasons spent playing with the Browns and the Giants, Peppers finally put it together and became one of the better safeties in football with the Patriots. In 2023, PFF ranked him as the 5th best free safety in the NFL, as Peppers set career highs in interceptions, passer rating, reception %, and yards per reception. He's only under contract for one more season, and at an extremely reasonable price ($5 million). With the Bears just having parted ways with longtime safety Eddie Jackson, Peppers would make some sense in Chicago. If it works out, great – they can sign him to a longer deal next offseason. If it doesn't, they can move on quickly and aren't stuck paying someone a ton of money for one good year of being coached by the greatest of all time. The Patriots would probably have to throw in something to sweeten the deal, but Peppers would be a good start.

2. Their 2024 2nd Round Pick (#34 overall)

If a trade does actually happen, this is probably the asset to keep an eye on. While the Bears do have two out of the first 10 picks in this year's draft, their capital kinda drops off after that: after #9, they don't pick again until #75. Enter pick #34, which feels like the perfect asset to center a deal around: the Patriots get a potential franchise QB without totally kneecapping this year's draft class, and the Bears get a second top-50 pick to help build around Caleb Williams. If the reports that Fields is commanding an early 2nd – or even a late 1st – are true, than this trade makes all the sense in the world.