The latest post-draft rumor to come out is a significant one, showing that the Patriots were ready to trade up for Baker Mayfield at No. 2 if available.
The road for AFC Supremacy and Super Bowl hopes continue to run through New England as long as the Patriots employ Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, but whispers that the end might be near for both brings hope to younger teams emerging as potential new powers in the shadow of Brady and others like Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
However, the Patriots seem intent on extending their run at the top, or at least giving it a real chance, as a post-draft rumor has emerged from Andrew Brandt and Baker Mayfield’s agent that the Pats were prepared to trade up for the former Oklahoma quarterback if he were to fall past the very first pick overall.
From podcast with Jack Mills, agent for @bakermayfield: "We knew that the Jets at 3 was the bottom line. We had another team that said 'you may get a big surprise on draft day at number two if he is available.' And that team was... the Patriots": https://t.co/b7oCfoc83t
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) May 1, 2018
The Cleveland Browns, under the leadership of general manager John Dorsey, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs, took Mayfield at No. 1 overall so the entire exercise is just post-draft speculation. It never came to fruition and the New York Giants were reportedly not even answering their phones with regards to the No. 2 spot, so could the Patriots really have pulled off a move? The New York Jets had already traded plenty to move up three spots to get in place for the next quarterback in line, so where would the Patriots have moved and would Mayfield have even been available.
More from Arrowhead Addict
- Former Chiefs cornerback in legal trouble in Las Vegas
- Chiefs Kingdom: Get ready to break contract news
- Chiefs news: Travis Kelce wants to host fan ‘chug-off’ in Germany
- Podcast: Breaking down the Chiefs biggest roster battles
- KC Chiefs send Dave Merritt to NFL coaching accelerator
What’s interesting in all of this is that the Patriots are clearly stockpiling draft assets for some major move. This year, they had 2 first round picks and 2 second round picks both with obviously others to follow. If they wanted, they could have sweetened the post enough for someone to move if there was any leverage to do so. The Browns were zeroed in on Mayfield, however, so the opportunity wasn’t there.
However, one year later, Belichick will be sitting in the same seat. The Patriots already traded down enough in this draft to pick up an extra second and third in 2019 and you can bet they will further wheel and deal until they have another nice draft haul ready to package those picks for the next great quarterback.
With Brady and Belichick both likely edging toward the twilight of their careers, it’s interesting that the head coach is doing his best to cement his legacy by making sure the level of success in New England continues long after he’s gone. If Mayfield is as good as advertised and the Pats were able to trade up for him, it could have meant serious frustration for franchises, such as the Chiefs and others, who might be waiting on the Patriots to simply fade away into retirement.
Certainly this adds a bit of fuel to a fire that will burn much brighter in nearly a year when the NFL waits to see what the Patriots will do for their long-term QB needs in next year’s draft.