The New England Patriots traded edge rusher Josh Uche to the Kansas City Chiefs for a sixth-round draft pick in 2026.
Why they made the move
The Chiefs are loading up in an attempt to win a third consecutive Super Bowl, while the Patriots are selling off pieces from a team going nowhere.
Despite having one of the league’s best defenses, the Chiefs have struggled to get after the quarterback. Their 15 sacks are tied for the seventh-fewest in the league.
Uche has top-tier pass rushing potential, evidenced by his 11.5 sacks in 2022. He should excel in that role within defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme, particularly as superstar lineman Chris Jones commands consistent attention on the inside. It’s a formula that’s worked in the past with edge rushers like Frank Clark and Carlos Dunlap. Uche’s presence also should theoretically help George Karlaftis on the other side.
Uche was a healthy scratch Sunday when the Patriots beat the New York Jets, and the Patriots took trade calls for him last year at the deadline. He returned to New England this season on a one-year, $3 million deal that could have reached $8 million with incentives — turning down a two-year, $15 million offer including $11 million from another team, according to a league sources. So there’s been plenty of outside interest in his services.
Uche hasn’t been consistent enough with the Patriots. His run defense and lane discipline have been erratic, leading to the healthy scratch. He’s only got two sacks this season and hasn’t tallied more than three sacks in a season with the exception of the monstrous campaign in 2022.
Uche wanted to return to New England to be part of the solution with the rebuild. It was admirable that he took much less money to do so, but it hasn’t gone according to plan for all involved this season. This fit wasn’t going to last, so the Patriots moved him now to ensure minimal compensation.
Chiefs trade grade: A
The Chiefs have absolutely nothing to lose here. This feels like a trade that has grand-slam potential.
And if it works? Uche might have a long-term home in Kansas City, which is music to the ears of any player who prioritizes winning.
At minimum, Uche is the biggest winner here. The Chiefs are always in the spotlight. Everyone in the league will be watching them in the playoffs, and Uche can make millions with a solid postseason.
This had to be one of the easiest trade calls general manager Brett Veach has ever made.
Patriots trade grade: C
From a pure football perspective, this trade makes little sense for the Patriots. No, it wasn’t working with Uche, but why not? Why not spend the next 10 games trying to make it work? It won’t reflect well on New England if Uche tears it up in Kansas City.
Conversely, it’s entirely plausible we’ve all been teased by Uche’s potential to the point that we’re blinded by reality. He tears it up in practice. He tears it up in the preseason. He tore it up in 2022. But aside from 2022, Uche has nine sacks in 43 games.
If Uche doesn’t work out in Kansas City, the Patriots can rightly puff out their chests. He was, after all, a healthy scratch for a reason. There’s something missing here.
It’s known around the league that the Patriots will continue to listen to offers on other players before the NFL trade deadline next week. pic.twitter.com/gqYx3ygGPQ
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) October 28, 2024
There’s one more element at play here. It’s also possible the Patriots are doing right by Uche after he took such a massive hometown discount. With the way things were trending, he wasn’t going to get a huge contract in free agency, but they’ve given him a path to do that now.
If that’s how it works out, maybe some good karma will come back to them.
More trade analysis:
• Davante Adams: Kudos to Jets for pushing all in; why did Raiders wait so long?
• Amari Cooper: Bills load up; Browns try to make best of bad situation
• DeAndre Hopkins: Chiefs get Patrick Mahomes the help he desperately needed
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(Photo: Billie Weiss / Getty Images)
