Sometimes there’s more than meets the eye with trades in the NFL, and that appears to be the case with Joshua Uche.
The New England Patriots dealt Uche to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday for a 2026 sixth-round pick, which seemed like an underwhelming return for a player who amassed 11.5 sacks just two seasons ago. So, why did the Patriots agree to such a deal?
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer shared some interesting intel on the 26-year-old edge rusher Tuesday night on Arbella Early Edition.
(The Patriots) felt like he wasn’t taking the coaching, like he was playing outside the defense too much, like he wasn’t dependable — and just a little bit like he wasn’t on board with where things were under (head coach) Jerod Mayo,” Breer said, as seen in the video player above.
“And the way I look at it, this is a crucial time for them to have guys on board, especially when they are guys that you’ve actually rewarded and paid. So a guy like that — he’s not on board, you have a landing spot for him, you send him away.”
Uche took a significant pay cut to stay in New England, signing a one-year, $3 million contract with the Patriots this spring despite reportedly having a two-year, $15 million offer on the table. He’s seen his playing time steadily decrease in recent weeks, however, from 24 snaps in Week 5 to 20 in Week 6 to just 11 in Week 7 before he was made inactive against the New York Jets last Sunday.
Uche can be an excellent pass-rusher, but at 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, he can also be a liability in the run game. New England had struggled defending the run prior to the Jets matchup, so it makes sense why Uche’s playing time would dip, especially if he was deviating from the game plan while on the field.
And as for that 2026 sixth-rounder? According to Breer, that was essentially the best offer the Patriots had on the table for Uche.
“My understanding is the Chiefs were the only team to offer them a pick, period, clean,” Breer added. “There were other teams that were willing to come in and give them a pick swap where it’s like, ‘You go with a six and we get a five back.’
“The Chiefs were the only team that offered them a pick clean where they would just get the pick and that was it.”
In this context, the Patriots trading Uche is a bit more understandable, even if the outcome left something to be desired.
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