The Indianapolis Colts are in a freefall at the moment. Sure, 2-5 isn't impossible to come back from, but the team looks fundamentally broken and just traded away a franchise cornerstone, guard Quenton Nelson. Now, wide receiver Josh Downs reportedly has requested that the Colts trade him, too.
Downs has been a very solid slot receiver for the Colts, but if he wants out, there's no real reason to keep him around. Who would want to trade for Downs? Well, one AFC contender does have his college quarterback on it.
Proposed Colts-Patriots trade for Josh Downs
This is one of those trades that makes perfect sense as long as you look past one obvious issue —the Patriots and Colts are two teams that probably don't really want to trade with each other. Considering the different timelines that the two sides are on, though, it's definitely possible that gets overlooked.
Indianapolis has motivation to move Downs because, well ... he wants to be moved. This team is in no position to keep a disgruntled receiver around when the alternative is acquiring a pick in a future draft. Yes, trading Downs feels like the Colts officially admitting that the Daniel Jones extension was a mistake, but at the same time, wasn't the Nelson trade already signaling that?
New England is motivated to do this deal because the team could use a slot receiver upgrade. A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs (once he returns from his shoulder injury) can play on the outside, and then Downs would have plenty of room to work the middle of the field. We're talking about a player who is third among all NFL receivers in slot snaps this season. He's been decently productive, but he's also had to contend with poor-quality targets from Jones. Playing with Drake Maye changes that.
Not to mention, the two have history together. In 2022, they played together at North Carolina, with Downs catching 94 passes for 1,029 yards and 11 touchdowns. That familiarity would come in handy as the Patriots look to get to the Super Bowl for the second season in a row.
As for the Mack Hollins part of the deal, that's just to make this work for salary purposes. Hollins —who coincidentally also played for the Tar Heels in college, before both Maye and Downs did — is currently on the IR with a calf injury, but he could provide some depth for a Colts offense that would be really thin at receiver after a Downs trade.
Will this happen? Probably not, but it solves issues that both teams have, so it's a trade that definitely should happen.
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