Rumored Patriots trade deadline plans don’t make a single iota of sense

The New England Patriots took advantage of the New York Jets' imminent collapse with a 25-22 victory on Sunday. It was a much-needed win for a franchise in stasis, and a reminder that hope does exist for this team in a post-Bill Belichick world.

That said, beating the Jets is not exactly a monumental accomplishment. Aaron Rodgers is fully cooked, which the Patriots were perfectly happy to point out postgame. After firing Robert Saleh, the Jets have fallen into a stupor, clearly unsure of how to deal with such a blatant and unmitigated failure.

This was supposed to be the Jets team that finally broke through. New York poured countless financial and PR resources into making the Aaron Rodgers thing happen, only for it to blow up in their faces. To beat that Jets team in this moment does not tell us much of anything about New England's own competence.

And yet, it would appear that New England is using Sunday's victory as a launchpad for all the wrong initiatives. Instead of trading off veterans and embracing the slow, patient rebuild around Drake Maye, the Patriots are gearing up for a potential trade deadline flurry, per NFL insider Josina Anderson.

Patriots hope to add pieces at trade deadline following upset of Jets

The Patriots absolutely need help at wide receiver, defensive tackle, and offensive tackle. The O-line has been bleeding pressure all season, forcing Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett into compromised positions. The wide receiver room is quite possibly the worst in football. New England's pass rush, meanwhile, took a hit following the Matthew Judon trade, and the recent departure of Josh Uche won't help.

That said, New England should pump the breaks on the whole spending spree. The trade deadline is generally an opportunity for bad teams to offload salary, recoup picks for aging vets, and reset the table for a more productive offseason. That is the approach New England should be taking right now. There isn't a trade available to the Patriots right now that can save this season.

If the Patriots are truly viewing Sunday's game as a stepping stone toward contention, rather than a positive building block for the future, Eliot Wolf and the front office desperately need a reality check. Jerod Mayo wants to win. Robert Kraft wants to win. New England fans are tired of losing. But, plain and simple, that team is not ready to seriously compete in the AFC. Making shortsighted moves to win seven games instead of four won't help New England get back to the Super Bowl stage any quicker.

There are a lot of encouraging pieces on this team, few more so than the rookie under center. Drake Maye has looked the part of New England's QB of the future. He's the real deal, and there are plenty of individual pieces on the roster who deserve commendation for their efforts this season.

In the end, however, rebuilds are meant to be taken at a leisurely pace, so as to avoid catastrophic pitfalls and avoidable overreactions. If the Patriots reel off a few more wins we can talk, but with the Nov. 5 trade deadline just a week away, New England should be looking to sell, sell, sell.