Through the first four weeks of the 2024 regular season, the New England Patriots offense hasn’t looked good.

The unit, led by first-year coordinator-quarterback duo Alex Van Pelt and Jacoby Brissett and ranking 31st in the league at just 13.0 points per game, leaves a lot to be desired. This is especially true in the passing game, where the threat of a downfield attack was only theoretical.

The numbers speak for themselves: Brissett ranks 30th in the league in yards per attempt (5.3), while New England ranks last overall with just four explosive pass plays over 20 yards. It’s clear that something has to change if the team wants to get back on track after the first to third years.

Could this be a big trade acquisition and bring in Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders?

A six-time Pro Bowler and one of the most productive wide receivers of his generation, Adams and the Raiders are headed for a divorce. Speculation about his future has been rife for over a year, but the team maintains its stance that it will not part ways with a player it acquired from Green Bay in March 2022.

However, the Raiders have apparently changed their minds. They are now reportedly willing to listen to incoming offers and move on from a player who has had four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.

According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the asking price is around “a second-round pick and additional compensation.” It remains to be seen whether a club can meet these requirements.

However, it is safe to say that the Patriots should not be that club.

Of course there are arguments for taking part in the Adams competition. Look no further than the state of New England’s passing game, as described above; Adding a blue-chip player could be just the talent the unit is looking for. And make no mistake, the veteran wideout is exactly that: He would single-handedly make the Patriots a better team and give Brissett a clear No. 1 to work with.

Additionally, the Patriots have the resources to make a trade. They have the resources to send to Las Vegas and the financial capacity to both take on Adams’ current contract and rework the deal to lower his salary cap hits in 2025 and 2026.

All of that is true, and yet New England would probably be wise to steer clear of an Adams trade. There is a simple reason for this: the Patriots want to be a “draft and development team.”

Acquiring a soon-to-be 32-year-old wide receiver — especially given the Raiders’ reported demands — would run counter to that roster-building strategy the team has touted since the start of the Jerod Mayo/Eliot Wolf era this offseason. Adams could be what the doctor ordered for the Patriots in 2024, but it would be too rich to pass up a key asset like a high draft pick for him, despite his qualities as a player.

Adding a player like Adams via trade would be a luxury for the Patriots at this stage of their rebuilding process – a luxury that, quite frankly, this team cannot and should not afford right now.