Rumors continue to persist that the New England Patriots could trade the No. 3 pick in this year’s NFL Draft while going the veteran route at quarterback.
It’s an open question what the team’s plans are given that the front office is not necessarily 100% in place following the departure of the legendary Bill Belichick.
Jerod Mayo replaced Belichick as the Patriots’ head coach. Meanwhile, Eliot Wolf seems to be running the player personnel department. Interviews with potential general manager candidates are set to take place after the draft in April.
As odd as the situation is in New England right now, it does appear that former first-round pick Mac Jones will be traded this offseason. He was benched multiple times a season ago and has regressed a great deal since a stellar rookie campaign back in 2021.
But what are the Patriots’ plans as they head into an important offseason following a disastrous four-win campaign? We have some clarification.
Related: New England Patriots reporter sheds light on team’s interest in a Justin Fields trade
New England Patriots likely to select quarterback No. 3 in NFL Draft
According to Chad Graff of The Athletic, the most-likely scenario is that New England doesn’t trade out of the third pick. Rather, the team attempts to find a quarterback of the future.
This year’s NFL Draft is seen as stacked at quarterback. USC’s Caleb Williams will likely be the No. 1 pick off the board to the Chicago Bears. As of right now, North Carolina’s Drake Maye is viewed as QB2. He could very well land with the Washington Commanders at two.
That would put the Patriots in an interesting situation. Obviously, reigning Heisman winner Jayden Daniels from LSU would be a top option for New England. These are seen as the top-three quarterbacks in the draft class.
New England has also been linked to Bears quarterback Justin Fields in trade talks. With Chicago set to take the aforementioned Williams at one, Fields is more than likely to be dealt at some point before the end of February.
The question here is whether the Patriots’ brass views Fields as a major upgrade over Jones. He’s thrown 40 touchdowns compared to 30 interceptions in 38 career starts since Chicago made the Ohio State product a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.