New England Patriots Trade Veteran Player to Las Vegas Raiders Two Weeks Into Season

By Brian Jones

The New England Patriots made a trade with the Las Vegas two weeks into the season. On Wednesday, the Raiders announced they have acquired veteran offensive lineman Justin Herron and a 2024 seventh-round draft pick in a trade with the Patriots. As part of the trade terms, the Raiders will send a 2024 sixth-round pick to the Patriots. 

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels told reporters on Wednesday that general manager Dave Ziegler was presented with the "opportunity" to trade for Herron. "A guy that we have some familiarity with, has played tackle in games, plenty of games, and has some versatility," McDaniels said, per ESPN. "Young player that's continuing to develop. "We'll just let him come in and compete and acclimate to what we're doing and then see where it goes. But no expectations, other than just adding a player that we are familiar with that we feel like has some upside and looking forward to develop him."

Herron, 26, was selected by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He played in a total of 28 games with 10 starts in his career but has not seen any action for far this season. Herron has played multiple positions on the offensive line, including right tackle, left tackle and eligible tight end. In March 2021, Herron was honored as a hero by the Tempe (Arizona) Police Department for helping to stop an attempted sexual assault in an area park. 

"The reaction from the media, I wasn't ready," Herron told the Patriots' official website at the time. "A lot of people said it would get big, but I didn't think it would get that big. The funny thing is with everyone who knows me personally, which warms my heart, they all said, 'Yeah, we're not surprised. We all figured you would do something like that.' So that really makes me feel good ... It gave me an idea that I'm doing things right."  

Herron told reporters he just reacted to the situation. "You see it in movies and TV all the time, but you never think it's going to happen in real life until it does. In that moment, I was in shock," he said. "It was 11, in the middle of the day, not one cloud in the sky and in a very open field. The fact it happened there, at that time, was very shocking. In the moment, I wish I could tell you what I was thinking. I just knew someone just needed help. All I could do was just rush myself over there to make sure I could help the victim and make sure I could comfort her and be the best person I can be."

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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