Patriots’ Radical Trade Proposal Lands a QB for Desired Draft Picks
|Let’s face it.
We can get enthusiastic about the new guy, New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo.
We can be excited about the franchise’s cap room this offseason. After two years of terrible judgments by Bill Belichick, fans might be optimistic about the franchise’s new direction. However, the next Patriots quarterback will be the sole determinant of how swiftly this team recovers in the coming year.
The possibility of New England acquiring an asset from the Bears, who own the No. 1 pick and currently employ star quarterback Justin Fields, is a long shot that many Pats fans may not have considered until recently.
That’s how NBC Sports Chicago analyst Glynn Morgan sees things playing out, with the Patriots trading down from No. 3 to as part of a blockbuster trade that sends Fields to the Patriots while also returning the No. 9 pick.
Plenty of Patriots Quarterback Options
It will become a more prevalent theme in the coming months, as the Patriots have four quarterback options.
They may negotiate a deal with the Bears to secure the No. 1 pick and take Caleb Williams, potentially at a high cost. Given what the Bears were able to get from the Panthers for the No. 1 pick last year, such a deal would cost New England this year’s No. 3 pick, as well as next year’s first-round pick, plus additional draft assets, making this option unappealing.
Second, they may make a trade with the Bears for Fields. In Morgan’s fake trade, the Patriots would receive Fields, the No. 9 pick, and a 2025 sixth-rounder in exchange for the No. 3 pick, the Patriots’ fourth-rounder, and third- and fifth-round picks in 2025.
Third, the Patriots might abandon the concept of a draft-day deal and instead select whichever quarterback falls to them from the group of Williams, Drake Maye, or Jayden Daniels. This is the most likely outcome.
Fourth, the Patriots might try to make a free-agent splash in the quarterback market by chasing players such as Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield, or, if he is released, Russell Wilson. However, given the state of their offensive line and wide receiver rooms, the Patriots are unlikely to be able to sign a big-time quarterback on the open market.