NFL Rumors: Top five trade candidates going into July

1. Malcolm Butler, CB, Patriots

Yes, I still think there’s a chance the Patriots would trade Malcolm Butler. It would obviously be at their price and under their terms, because Butler signed his RFA tender and the Patriots have no incentive to trade a top flight cornerback unless, of course, they are blown away by an offer.

Perhaps some team will get desperate and offer the Patriots a first round pick in next year’s draft for Butler’s services. Heck, maybe the Cleveland Browns will feel good enough about their team this year that they feel Butler is the type of player that can help them win now.

Perhaps a team like Seattle would see Butler as a long-term upgrade and trade Richard Sherman to the Patriots to rid themselves of that distraction.

I’m just speculating here, of course. There are a number of NFL teams that would love to have a cornerback like Butler on the roster. The New Orleans Saints are obviously a team that has had interest this offseason, but they might have let that ship sail away to sea.

Cornerbacks are usually trade-able even late in the offseason because they really have one job — shut some receivers down. Butler would be an interesting piece to move for New England, which could theoretically wind up with three first round picks next year if they traded Jimmy Garoppolo (they aren’t).