Bill Simmons Says Patriots Could Trade Julian Edelman and That Would Be Wild

Now that Tom Brady has left the New England Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, fans and pundits alike are unsure if the Pats will try to retool in order to chase the AFC East title again or blow the whole thing up and start a rebuild.

The Ringer's Bill Simmons seems to think the fire sale is coming, and wide receiver Julian Edelman might be among the players headed out of town if New England decided to sell. Simmons, well-known as a Boston sports diehard, mentioned Matt Patricia and the Detroit Lions as a potential buyer for Edelman.

Considering how so many ex-Patriots have seemed to end up either with Patricia in Detroit or with fellow Bill Belichick disciple Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, the Lions do make sense from that perspective.

While Edelman hit 100 catches for the third time in his career and set a new career-high with 1,117 yards in 2019, the Lions have one of the best wide receiver groups in the league. With Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, Danny Amendola, and Geronimo Allison all in tow, would it make sense to give up a draft pick for a player in Edelman who will be 34 next year?

Edelman proved last year he can be a trusted slot option for any passing game, even if he couldn't help lead New England to yet another championship. If the Patriots do make this former Super Bowl MVP available, however, any contending team worth their salt might want to get on the phone before Detroit does.