Recharging New England & How To Get Fans Back On Board
This free agency period has been bland for the New England Patriots. It was good that they retained a number of their players who can still contribute despite the Patriots' back-to-back down seasons.
However, with Bill Belichick's significant departure, many fans were expecting a change in philosophy and at least one or two major additions to this roster before the draft. The time passed, and those major pieces weren't added.
Mayo recently asked the fans to be "patient" and let them build this the "right" way. This is all fine and good except for the fact that Mayo also said they were ready to spend to improve. New England has improved marginally but still has massive holes at three premium positions: Left Tackle, a top Wide Reciever, and most importantly, a Quarterback.
So, how can the Patriots recreate that juice? There are two likely scenarios: a trade back or sticking at number 3 overall and taking the QB (hopefully of the future).
New England Trades Back With Minnesota
The deal would include picks 11 and 23 this year and a 2025 first-rounder for the third overall pick. Many insiders have floated this type of deal, and it could benefit the team in several ways. One way is if Daniels goes at two to the Commanders and the Pats aren't in love with Drake Maye.
I used to be a Maye guy, but I've been off for the last couple of months. After watching his entire body of work at UNC, I'm back on board with selecting him, but I'm not 100 percent on Maye like I am with Daniels. I could live with them trading out for this package as long as they hit on the picks.
What really matters here is if New England can hit on a WR and LT with the picks they get back this year and hope the Vikings have a down year and they can own another top-ten pick for next season.
I would hate this move if the smoke around JJ McCarthy is legit, and Washington actually takes him at number two overall. It would be cowardice if the Patriots had the choice of Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye but still traded back.
I don't think the smoke is accurate, and I have been partial to the package, but hitting on the players is a different story. What was the point if they were to make this trade and only hit on one player? The other side is whether this move would bring New England the juice it needs. I would say no at face value, but it depends on how they hit on the picks from the package.
New England Takes The QB Of The Future
Many signs point to the Patriots taking Drake Maye with their first draft selection, which, as I said earlier, would be okay with me. However, there is a growing buzz about the Commanders being enamored of JJ McCarthy.
Las Vegas seems to think they know something that the rest of the community hasn't picked up yet. If there is a choice between Daniels and Maye, New England needs to stay strong and make the pick because the fans need something to root for and get behind.
Yes, they have holes elsewhere, almost everywhere, which is crucial on offense, but the way to get back to a winning team is through the Quarterback. New England still has the opportunity to trade for one of those elite receivers and draft a starting left tackle or vice versa.
Having Jacoby Brissett as the single caller for the whole season will cause more decay in the fan/team, which has progressively worsened since Brady left. People outside of this need to understand this isn't year one of the rebuild. It's going on year six. We need a shining light to bring us back out of the darkness.
End Of Rant
It seems like I would be okay with the package, but it would have to be in a certain circumstance. Most fans will be disappointed if they move back and don't draft a quarterback, which I totally understand.
New England needs to do what's right for the football team, which in the best-case scenario is taking a quarterback at 3, hitting on a Tackle at 34, and trading a third this year and next year for a Tee Higgins or Brandon Ayuik-type receiver.
If this is even close to what happens at the end of April, the fans and myself will be back on board ready to give this team everything we have. But if things continue to go the way they have been: bland, unexciting losses, then the fanbase will be miserable.
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