The rich got richer Wednesday when the Patriots and Colts agreed on a trade to send tight end Dwayne Allen and a sixth-round draft pick to New England for a fourth-round pick.
So now the Super Bowl champions will have Allen, who caught 35 passes for 406 yards and six touchdowns last season, on the other side of Rob Gronkowski in 2017.
Before a 2014 game between the Patriots and Colts, New England coach Bill Belichick called Allen “one of the best blocking tight ends we’ll see.”
This trade, along with New England’s healthy amount of salary-cap space, makes the Patriots even more dangerous in their run at a second consecutive Super Bowl.
The Patriots’ acquisition of Allen surely marks the end of Martellus Bennett’s stay in New England. He will likely not be re-signed despite catching 55 passes for 701 yards and seven touchdowns last season.