WEDNESDAY, 8:08am: The Pats have officially announced the acquisition of Ayers, meaning he passed his physical. To make room on the roster, New England has waived linebacker Ja’Gared Davis (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 3:43pm: La Canfora clarifies (via Twitter) that the Pats sent a sixth-round pick to Tennessee in the deal, and receive a seventh-round pick along with Ayers.
3:32pm: The Titans and Patriots have reached an agreement on a trade that will send linebacker Akeem Ayers to New England, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). According to Wyatt, Ayers will have to pass a physical before the deal becomes official. Meanwhile, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports (via Twitter) that only seventh-round picks are involved in the trade, so it sounds as if the price tag is minimal for the Pats.
Ayers, a former 39th overall pick, started 43 games for the Titans in his first three seasons with the club, but has seen his playing time significantly reduced this season under head coach Ken Whisenhunt and a new staff. Earlier this month, Ayers expressed some frustration with his new spot on the bench, as Wyatt detailed at the time.
“Just because I am not walking around here ticked off and tearing everything up doesn’t mean I am comfortable with my situation,” Ayers said. “I am not comfortable with not playing. I want to play. I am a competitor, and I want to compete. So just because I am not carrying myself a certain way doesn’t mean I don’t care. But there is a way to handle everything, and I’m trying to handle things the right way.”
While Ayers didn’t air his frustrations or ask for a trade publicly, it makes sense that both he and the team would have welcomed a deal. It’s not clear immediately how he’ll fit in with the Pats, but the team’s linebacking corps got a little thinner after Jerod Mayo suffered a season-ending injury in Week 6 against the Bills, so Ayers should provide some reliable veteran depth at the very least.
Assuming Ayers passes his physical, the Patriots will also need to make a corresponding move to clear room on their roster before the trade can be finalized.