3 trades the Patriots can make to embrace the tank for Caleb Williams

It's time for Robert Kraft to face facts about his New England Patriots. Tom Brady ain't coming back to lead the organization to a seventh Super Bowl title. And it might just be time for Bill Belichick to wrap up his historic run in Foxborough.

Through six games of this 2023 NFL season, the Pats have won just once, that being a Week 3 victory over the New York Jets.

But since that 15-10 win, New England has been outscored 93-20 in losses to the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, and Las Vegas Raiders. And being beaten by Josh McDaniels and Brian Hoyer this past Sunday had to eat at Belichick a bit, don't you think?

Simply put, the Patriots simply don't have the talent they once did. And while Mac Jones is the easy scapegoat here as that experiment has clearly run its course, problems exist on both sides of the football.

The defense gets a slight pass as New England's two best defenders, Matthew Judon and Christian Gonzalez, are now both on injured reserve. But those two alone certainly weren't saving this season, one that's essentially already over as it pertains to returning to the NFL Playoffs.

At 1-5, the Patriots are tied for the second-worst record in the league and would own the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft if it took place tomorrow. Only the Carolina Panthers are worse at 0-6.

Now, no team coached by Bill Belichick would ever truly tank to secure the top pick in the draft, even if that pick turns out to be reigning Heisman Trophy-winning USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who could probably come to New England next week and play better than Mac Jones has this season.

With that said, however, it truly is time for Robert Kraft and the Patriots to start over. And that's with or without Bill Belichick on the sideline. They have several players in contract years, and trading a few of them to secure a few more draft picks might be the way to go as the deadline approaches.

They're not going to win many more games, so at least getting something in return for these guys for the future would be wise. There are a few young players on this roster that are worth saving for this latest rebuild, but quite a few that likely wouldn't be back in 2024 anyway.

Here are a few names for which New England might be able to get decent value in return.

Kendrick Bourne, WR

Despite Mac Jones' overall struggles, Kendrick Bourne has had a solid start to the 2023 campaign with 28 receptions for 307 yards with a pair of scores, giving him the solo lead or the shared lead in each category.

Many of the major contenders will be looking to add a quality wideout near the deadline, and Bourne fits that bill. As he's less than two years away from turning 30, keeping the former 49er around for a rebuild doesn't make much sense.

As Bourne is in the final season of the three-year, $15 million deal he signed ahead of the 2021 campaign, ship him out and pick up a fourth-round pick. Sure, that'll make Jones' life a lot more difficult. But who cares? They're tanking for Caleb anyway, right?