“They are a team that will say players are available but then will pull back,” one league exec reportedly told Fowler.

If the Patriots were to be sellers, Kyle Dugger, Josh Uche, Mike Onwenu, and Christian Barmore would be among the players of interest among league execs, Fowler reported.

Of the five players mentioned in Fowler’s column (including Bourne), four of them are currently in the last year of their contracts, with Barmore being the exception. The 2020 second-round pick is in the third year of his four-year rookie deal.

All five of those players have been among the Patriots’ top contributors over the last few seasons. Bourne leads the team in receiving this season with 28 catches for 307 yards and two touchdowns. Dugger leads the team in tackles this season (41 total), as the fourth-year safety had three interceptions last season. Uche has two sacks this season after recording a career-high 11.5 sacks in 2022.

In the trenches, Barmore has been better as of late. He had five total tackles against the Raiders last week and recorded a sack in the Week 3 win over the Jets. He missed a good amount of time last season due to injury but had two sacks in the final four games and recorded 11 pressures in the final two games of last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Onwenu has arguably been the Patriots’ best offensive lineman over the last few seasons. However, he’s struggled this season as he missed three games after undergoing ankle surgery in the offseason.

As the Patriots have two more games before the trade deadline, Bourne admitted that the rumors are on his mind, but also stated a desire to remain in Foxborough.

“It’ll definitely be on my mind,” Bourne told reporters on Thursday. “But just being ready for whatever, man. I want to be here. I’d love to be here. But if there’s other plans, then it is what it is.”