The New England Patriots, despite dominating parts of this offseason with the new hit Apple Tv+ documentary, in which all sorts of drama has been stirred up and and shots have been fired, risk fading into obscurity after another losing season, which eventually resulted in the Patriots parting ways with legendary head coach, Bill Belichick.
The New England Patriots Could Make A Splash Change At Quarterback In 2024
Although they have the 3rd overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, they will have last pick of the 3 “top” quarterbacks of this incoming class: Caleb Wiliams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels.
Whilst this has not necessarily been a fatal issue for teams in the past, elite Los Angeles Chargers quarterback, Justin Herbert, was the 3rd QB taken in the 2020 draft after Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa, it certainly, one could argue, puts them in not quite the prime position they would like to be in regarding their very much up-in-the-air future at the most important position.
New offensive coordinator, and Aaron Rodgers’ former quarterbacks coach, Alex Van Pelt, has not explicitly ruled out a return to the starting lineup for incumbent starting quarterback, Mac Jones (even though Bailey Zappe started the back 5 games of the season, by which time it was clear the Patriots were not playoff bound).
Could The Patriots Decide To Pursue A QB Through Alternative Avenues
So, unable to choose their top 2 guys, could the New England Patriots instead decide to make a play at a more “sure thing” option at QB?
According to CBS’s Free Agency Mock Draft, the New England Patriots land current Minnesota Vikings quarterback, Kirk Cousins, ahead of other suitors like the Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos.
The reasoning behind it? If the Patriots are not able to get who they really want at signal caller, would they not be better off taking a quarterback they know can deliver. And with the projected $86 million they have in cap space going into 2024, it is not like he would be out of their price range.
Kirk Cousins is 35, but he could easily play at a high level for another 3 to 4 years, although teams will need some medical assurances concerning the recovery of Achilles tear in October of last year.
Could The Minnesota Vikings Aim To Do A “Trade” With The New England Patriots?
In the same vein, it looks like the Vikings, should the Patriots make a play for Cousins, or decide on a different option at QB all together, are interested in moving up to the 3rd overall pick to take their quarterback of the future, according to Vikings insider Darren Wolfson.
The Vikings currently hold the 11th overall pick, so, using the San Francisco – Miami Dolphins trade in 2021 as a benchmark, would need to give up the equivalent of 2 1st round picks in back to back years. This could be very lucrative for the Patriots, who have a real derth of blue chip talent besides star edge rusher, Matt Judon.
Let’s see if the Patriots do make a play for Cousins, and if the Vikings subsequently make a move up the draft for Patriots’ 3rd overall pick. Depending on how the Pats feel about these quarterbacks, it could certainly be in their interest to move down and collect more future capital and take their time with the rebuild, against a Vikings team who clearly think they are more or less just a quarterback away from being able to really compete in the up-and-down NFC.
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