NFL Rumors: These QB-Needy Teams Could Be Patriots Trade Partners

Patriots fans who prefer the team trade the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft will be happy to hear there could be no shortage of suitors for the prized selection.

New England is hot on the pro day trail right now. The Patriots got a close-up look at LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels earlier this week, and they’ll watch Drake Maye on Thursday afternoon in North Carolina. There’s a clear need at quarterback, and it’s certainly possible Eliot Wolf, Jerod Mayo and the Patriots stand pat and take one of those potential franchise QBs with the third pick.

Then again, they have been downright forthcoming about their willingness to trade the pick if they can find the right deal. Obviously, that takes (at least) to tango, and it gets even better if there’s a legitimate market for the asset. According to The Athletic’s Diana Russini, it sounds like the Patriots could start an old-fashioned auction if they’d like.

“I’m told the Vikings, Broncos and Raiders are three teams trying to move up to draft their franchise quarterback,” Russini wrote in a roundup from the recent NFL league meetings. “With multiple teams all searching for the most important player, the phone lines in New England should be busy.”

Russini also noted there are “some” in the league who believe the Patriots “could rebuild this team the way we’ve seen the Texans do after moving Deshaun Watson.” Houston got a haul when it traded the embattled the quarterback to Cleveland, but the Texans didn’t draft a quarterback until last season when it nabbed C.J. Stroud with the second pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Stroud went on to win Rookie of the Year, and a young, talented Texans team now looks poised to take another major step forward in 2024.

While the Patriots might believe their roster is better than what it showed in the standings last season, there’s no denying they have some big holes at very important positions. New England does need a quarterback, but it could also use a franchise left tackle and a game-changing No. 1 receiver. If the Patriots aren’t in love with one of the top quarterbacks outside of presumed No. 1 pick Caleb Williams, it might make sense to leverage that No. 3 spot in a deal with one of those teams looking to move up.

Trading the third pick to one of those teams likely would move the Patriots out of the top 10. Minnesota, Denver and Las Vegas currently own picks Nos. 11 through 13, respectively. The Vikings seemingly would have the upper hand to begin with, as Minnesota not only has the highest top pick of the three (No. 11), but the Vikes also own the No. 23 selection.