Tag: Josh Uche

49ers can’t continue waiting to get aggressive in trade market

The 49ers can’t sit around and wait for the trade market to dry up.

It’s clear after eight weeks that the San Francisco 49ers’ roster, as currently constructed, isn’t a viable Super Bowl contender.

Injuries have played a role, to be sure, but the 49ers badly need help at multiple positions if they’re going to make a run after their Week 9 Bye.

Unfortunately for the 49ers, they won’t have another game before the Nov. 5 trade deadline. They know everything they’re going to know about their roster by the time the deadline passes, save for how running back Christian McCaffrey will respond as he ramps up to return from his Achilles tendinitis.

San Francisco has been aggressive in the trade market in the past, and it’s time for them to hit the gas pedal again.

The Kansas City Chiefs, a Super Bowl contender, have already acquired wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans and edge rusher Josh Uche from the New England Patriots. Hopkins was available for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2025 draft. Uche was had for a 2026 sixth-round selection.

Perhaps San Francisco wasn’t looking for a receiver of Hopkins’s caliber, but they need edge help and Uche would have been an upgrade over a player like Robert Beal.

Elsewhere in the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens bolstered their receiving corps by sending a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for WR Diontae Johnson and a 2025 sixth-round pick.

In the NFC, the Minnesota Vikings lost left tackle Christian Darrisaw to a season-ending knee injury. They filled that gaping hole by dealing a conditional 2026 fifth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for left tackle Cam Robinson and a conditional seventh-round pick.

These are Super Bowl contenders that have identified areas of weakness on their rosters and sent out relatively limited draft capital to buttress them. If the 49ers want to be in that group, they should be acting now before other contenders start scooping up available contributors.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Ex-Patriots HC Bill Belichick weighs in on Chiefs’ trade for Joshua Uche

See what former #Patriots HC Bill Belichick had to say about the #Chiefs’ trade with New England for pass-rusher Joshua Uche.

The Kansas City Chiefs acquired linebacker Joshua Uche from the New England Patriots in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft on Monday, and legendary head coach Bill Belichick was quick to share his thoughts about his former team’s latest deal on the ‘Pat McAfee Show.’

In his remarks, Belichick seemed to imply that he thought the sixth-round pick that the Patriots received for Uche constituted a relatively minimal return for New England given his status as a more-than-capable pass-rusher.

In adding Uche to their defense, the Chiefs have secured a young contributor who could become a spark plug for star lineman Chris Jones and budding defensive end George Karlaftis.

Listen to Belichick’s full remarks on the trade in this clip, which was posted to Twitter by the ‘Pat McAfee Show’:

 

Stay tuned to see if Uche can make an impact for Kansas City when he makes his Chiefs debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on ‘Monday Night Football’ in Week 9.

Chiefs place fan-favorite TE on injured reserve after Josh Uche trade

The Kansas City #Chiefs are set to place fan-favorite TE Jody Fortson on their injured reserve list after trading for Josh Uche on Monday.

According to a report from Arrowhead Pride Editor-in-Chief Pete Sweeney, the Kansas City Chiefs are placing fan-favorite tight end Jody Fortson on their injured reserve list after acquiring pass-rusher Josh Uche in a trade with the New England Patriots on Monday.

Fortson was active for the Chiefs’ Week 8 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday but failed to record a catch in the game.

A three-time Super Bowl champion, Fortson initially signed with Kansas City as a free agent after the 2019 NFL draft and was part of the Chiefs’ roster until March 15, 2024, when he signed with the Miami Dolphins.

Miami released Fortson after training camp on August 25 and signed with Kansas City on September 26.

 

In his absence, the Chiefs will rely on rookie Jared Wiley as the third-string tight end behind Noah Gray and Travis Kelce on their depth chart.

Stay tuned to see how Wiley responds to his increased role in Week 9 when Kansas City hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Arrowhead Stadium on November 4.

Former Michigan football edge rusher on the move after NFL trade

Huge move for him! #GoBlue

Michigan football edge rushers in the NFL are a hot commodity. Of course, the headliner is Detroit Lions star Aidan Hutchinson, who is out with a broken leg for the rest of the season. But whether it’s Rashan Gary, David Ojabo, Mike Danna, or others, there’s no question that the Wolverines have produced some of the premier edge rushers in the National Football League.

And one star player is on the move as of Monday morning, and it’s from a former powerhouse to a current one.

Josh Uche has been a mainstay with the New England Patriots, having joined at the tail-end of Bill Belichick’s dynasty. Now the Pats are in rebuilding mode and thus traded Uche away on Monday morning. Now Uche will reteam with Mike Danna as he joined Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Uche has two sacks thus far this year and 20.5 in his career. His best year was 2022 when he managed to get 11.5 sacks in just one season.

Kansas City is one of those teams that’s loved having former Wolverine edge rushers. Not only did it draft Danna, but it long had former Michigan defensive end Frank Clark as one of its catalysts on the defensive line.

Former Saints trade target is a healthy scratch ahead of NFL deadline

A former Saints trade target has been made a healthy scratch for Week 8, potentially signaling an upcoming trade before the Nov. 5 deadline:

The New Orleans Saints were targeting a few players around the trade deadline last season but ultimately did not make any moves after their trade of Wil Lutz in August. One of the players they were targeting was edge rusher Josh Uche from the New England Patriots, however, they did not make a move to get him.

Now they may have the opportunity to take a look again, as Uche was marked as a healthy inactive for the Patriots in Week 8, and has an extremely friendly contract of only one year for a total of $3 million, however it breaks down to be even more friendly in a trade scenario.

In the case of a trade, the base salary is the primary consideration, and Uche has only a $1.3 million base salary on his current deal. Then you have to factor in the trade aspect and the games played vs. games remaining, and with nine to go for the Saints (not counting the Los Angeles Chargers this week), the contract comes out favorably. Splitting his base salary across 17 games, he makes approximately $76,470 per game, and over nine games would only need to be paid $688,235 for the remaining season. At the moment, the Saints have $2,246,030 in cap space available according to OverTheCap, which makes a deal possible.

The initial asking price for Uche last season was a fourth- or fifth-round pick, and considering his status this season now being healthy inactive, it may drop slightly depending on interest from other teams. With the Detroit Lions, Washington Commanders, and San Francisco 49ers all suffering defensive line injuries among other teams, it can be assumed that Uche will definitely have a notable market. Considering the recent history of the Saints’ fourth-round draft picks (Nick Saldiveri, Jake Haener, and Ian Book being the last three) it may not be a bad price for a quality edge rusher who could help the pass rush unit that has struggled at times this season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

What agent change could mean for Patriots LB Josh Uche

Josh Uche could be positioning for a big pay day

New England Patriots linebacker Josh Uche has changed representatives after signing with popular sports agent Drew Rosenhaus, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

Rosenhaus initially represented Uche at the University of Michigan.

Uche is coming off a season that saw him record 15 tackles and three sacks. Those numbers were a bit down from the 2022 campaign when he emerged as one of the Patriots’ top pass-rushers. He recorded 8.5 sacks that year.

Uche signed a one-year, $3 million contract to return to New England in March. This gives the Patriots at least one more season with the fifth-year player. The agent change could be notable next offseason when Uche is set to hit free agency.

A strong bounce-back year could put the veteran pass-rusher in a position to maximize his value on the open market. It would also put Rosenhaus in a better position to work his magic on a possible extension with the Patriots.

Reiss wrote:

According to NFL Players Association documents, Uche is now back with Drew Rosenhaus, who had initially represented him coming out of the University of Michigan when the Patriots selected Uche in the second round of the 2020 draft. Rosenhaus also represents veteran defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, who is pushing the team to redo his contract.

The Patriots are bringing back a stellar defensive unit this season with Uche being a key piece. Another solid season could significantly raise his value and once again force New England to make a tough decision next offseason.

Patriots LB Uche explains why he wants to be called ‘Joshua’

Uche explains heartfelt reasoning behind wanting to be called “Joshua” moving forward

The name is Joshua Uche, moving forward.

On Tuesday, the New England Patriots linebacker said he was leaving the abbreviated version of his name in the rearview and taking up the full name given to him at birth.

When asked to explain the change in name preference, Uche gave a heartfelt reason, when speaking with media members. It all boils down to the simple fact that it is the name his father gave him, and he wants to honor that name from here on out.

“One of the biggest disciplinarians other than Bill Belichick. … He’s the reason I’m standing here today,” said Uche, when talking about his father.

Uche is in a good place playing on a one-year extension with the Patriots and an opportunity to maximize his value in 2025. The new regime has shown they aren’t afraid of shelling out cash to keep their best players.

If Uche can get back to being the sack monster he was in 2022, he could be the next major extension looming on the horizon for the Patriots.

LB Joshua Uche assesses youthful Patriots QB room as draft dust settles

Joshua Uche sees real potential in Drake Maye and the Patriots’ new quarterbacks room

New England Patriots linebacker Joshua Uche is impressed with rookie quarterback Drake Maye, as he noted in a press conference on Tuesday.

Uche signed a new deal with the Patriots back in March. He is a key piece of their defense and showed it last season, when tallying 15 combined tackles and three sacks.

Those numbers were a bit down from the year before, when he recorded 27 combined tackles and established himself as a real pass-rushing threat with 11.5 sacks.

When asked about Maye, Uche noted that he didn’t know the rookie quarterback well. But he does feel like Maye has a great arm, and he’d give the team a chance to win football games.

Of course, like every position in New England, Uche also knows Maye is going to have to compete for a starting job.

There is no doubt the quarterback room will look different than it has in previous years. We’ll see if the actual competition between the five quarterbacks currently on the roster lives up to the hype.

Report: Patriots, LB Josh Uche agree to terms on one-year deal

LB Josh Uche is expected to re-sign with the Patriots

The pass-rushing gang is back together in New England.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport, the Patriots have agreed to terms on a one-year deal to re-sign pending free agent linebacker Josh Uche.

Per Garafolo, Uche had a more lucrative offer elsewhere, but he chose to stay in New England for the 2024 season.

The former second-round draft pick appeared to be on the verge of breaking out in 2022, when he mustered 11.5 sacks on the season. However, there was a significant drop-off last season. Not only did his on-field production take a hit, but he also saw a steady decline in his snap count.

Uche has given a boost to the Patriots in situational pass-rushing downs, but he clearly struggled against the run enough to continue seeing limits to his early-down work. Maybe the way he’s utilized will change with coach Jerod Mayo and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington grabbing the reins of the defense from former coach Bill Belichick.

Uche is an explosive player who is at his best when pinning his ears back and getting after opposing quarterbacks. Perhaps Mayo and company can unlock the version of that same player that made noise opposite of Judon over a year ago.

Projected market value for Patriots’ top pending free agents

The Patriots have multiple in-house free agents they might want to re-sign. Here’s what it could cost them.

Big decisions loom on the horizon for the New England Patriots heading into free agency.

They’re sitting pretty right now with roughly over $100 million in available salary cap space, but they are also a team bogged down with various holes and upgrade needs on their roster.

Free agency isn’t just about paying big money to load up on outside talent. It’s also about keeping the talent you already have to ensure some continuity. Not everything was bad with the 4-13 Patriots, and this isn’t a situation where the organization is looking to throw the entire team away.

There were pieces that stood out as potential parts of an eventual solution in New England. and it now falls on Patriots executive Eliot Wolf and the front office to figure out ways to keep those pieces intact.

Today, we’re taking a closer look at the Patriots’ top free agents and their projected market values, according to PFF.com and Spotrac.com.