FOXBORO — The New England Patriots have traded linebacker Josh Uche to the Kansas City Chiefs. The deal comes one day after Uche was inactive for New England’s Week 8 win over the New York Jets.
The Patriots are reportedly receiving a 2026 sixth-round pick from Kansas City in return for Uche, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Uche was one of the handful of Patriots players mentioned in trade rumors over the last few days, with the Nov. 5 NFL trade deadline just over a week away. The 26-year-old linebacker is now going from a 2-6 Patriots team to an undefeated Chiefs teams with Super Bowl aspirations.
Who is Josh Uche?
The Patriots drafted Uche in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft after he played four seasons for the Michigan Wolverines. The linebacker played in just nine games during his rookie season in New England and finished with one sack.
He really broke out in his third NFL season in 2022, when Uche logged a career-best 11.5 sacks over 15 games. He also forced a pair of fumbles and racked up 27 combined tackles for the New England defense that season.
Uche was at his best when he had star pass-rusher Matthew Judon demanding attention from opposing offensive lines, and his play dipped in 2023 when he had just three sacks over 15 games. He had two sacks over seven games in 2024, but saw his playing time decrease each week after playing 40 defensive snaps in Week 4 against the San Francisco 49ers.
The Chiefs have just 15 sacks on the season, which matches the Patriots, the Steelers, and the Cardinals and is tied for 24th in the NFL. Kansas City is hoping that a change of scenery — and a trip to the playoffs in the near future — will get Uche back to his 2022 form.
For his five-year career, Uche has 20.5 sacks, 34 QB hits, a pair of forced fumbles and a fumble recover over 58 games.
Uche was a free agent over the offseason and returned to the Patriots on a one-year, $3 million contract. He reportedly turned down a two-year, $15 million deal from another team to remain in New England.
The Uche trade could be the start of a busy trade season for the rebuilding Patriots, with the New England front office reportedly willing to “listen to any proposal” ahead of the Nov. 5 deadline, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
