Patriots Trade a 2028 Pick for RB Corey Kiner, Squeezed Out in Arizona

The Cardinals were ready to cut Corey Kiner loose. Instead they got a 2028 seventh-round pick out of it, sending the second-year back to New England in a trade first reported by Adam Schefter. Not a headline-grabbing haul, but a real return for a player Arizona was about to waive.

Here's the wrinkle that made it happen: the Patriots sit 31st in the waiver order, dead last but one. They figured Kiner would get scooped up by someone ahead of them if he hit waivers, so they spent a late pick a year and a half out to guarantee they landed him. That's how much New England wanted him — enough to skip the line entirely.

Kiner came into the league undrafted last year and quietly flashed in a tiny sample. He played four games for the Cardinals in 2025, running 12 times for 58 yards, catching two passes for 15 yards, and returning one kickoff for 22. It added up to 9 PPR points total, but the tape looked cleaner than the box score suggested.

Why Arizona Let Him Go

This one's about a crowded room, not a talent problem. The Cardinals spent a first-round pick on Jeremiyah Love and signed veteran Tyler Allgeier in free agency this offseason. Add those two to the mix and Kiner simply ran out of runway on the depth chart. Numbers game, plain and simple.

For New England, the calculus is different. A team scrambling for cheap, controllable backfield depth just added a young runner who's already shown he can hold onto the ball and contribute on special teams. On a rookie-scale deal, that's exactly the kind of low-cost bet a rebuilding roster makes.

The Fantasy Fallout

Let's be honest about where Kiner stands: he's unranked in our model, and that's not going to change on Sunday. Landing in New England behind an established backfield doesn't hand him touches. He's a name to file away, not a name to burn a bench spot on in anything shallower than a deep dynasty league.

The more interesting fantasy angle sits back in Arizona. Kiner's exit doesn't move the needle for the stars — Love and Allgeier were always going to eat — but it does tell you the Cardinals feel set at the position. That's a mild bump in security for the backs who remain, even if it doesn't juice their ceiling.

Speaking of Allgeier: he's our RB38 (No. 154 overall) coming off a 2025 season where he posted 514 rushing yards, eight touchdowns and 123 PPR points across 17 games. His form is trending the wrong way, though — he's averaged 2.4 fantasy points below his season mark over his last five games. With Love commanding the early-down and passing-game work, Allgeier profiles as a touchdown-dependent flex, and this trade doesn't change that.

Bottom line for managers: leave Kiner on the wire in redraft and treat him as a wait-and-see stash only in the deepest dynasty formats. Watch how New England deploys him in the preseason and early weeks — if injuries thin their room, he becomes a legitimate handcuff conversation. Until then, don't chase the shiny new address.