The seeds of a possible draft-day trade between the Giants and Patriots appear to have begun to sprout during the 2024 NFL Combine, it was revealed on Tuesday night’s second episode of “Hard Knocks: The New York Giants Offseason.”
The Patriots selected Drake Maye with the third overall pick in April’s draft, but the Giants have reportedly made an offer to New England to move up to the same spot.
The documentary series shows Giants general manager Joe Sean reaching out to the Patriots during the combine in Indianapolis in March to inquire about the pick.
HBO cameras caught Sean in a suite inside Lucas Oil Stadium discussing with assistant general manager Brandon Brown how he planned to approach the Patriots to gauge trade interest.
“Are you going to walk there?” Brown asked Sean.
“Yeah, I’m going to go in there and say, ‘Make sure you let us know before you do anything at 3 o’clock,'” Sean responded. “Just plant the seed. If you’re going to move the pick, don’t move it without at least giving us a call. … We’re interested.”
“I’m going to go plant some seeds,” Shawn told Brown and walked away.
The Giants GM put the plan into motion, walking into the Patriots’ suite and meeting with Elliot Wolf, New England’s vice president of player personnel.
After moving the conversation to a more secluded location, Shawn stated his request.
“If you’re planning on doing something at 3 p.m., like moving, you don’t have to tell me your plans,” Sean said, “but if you have a hunch, call me.”
Wolff told Sean they had also received calls from “several teams” and that conversations were similar to those being had between the two football executives at the time.
The conversation ended with Shawn asking Wolf to “keep me in the back of your mind,” with New England brass agreeing.
In the end, the Patriots acquired Maye from North Carolina despite heavy pressure from the Giants, who offered a second-round draft pick this year and a first-round pick in 2025 to try to persuade New England.
An episode of the HBO show certainly hinted that the Giants were looking to move up in the rankings to acquire a quarterback after Daniel Jones had an injury-plagued season.
The show began with a behind-the-scenes segment that took viewers through meetings the Giants had with some of the top quarterback prospects in the 2024 draft, including Maye, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy.
The quarterback meetings were led by Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who is an expert in developing playmakers and was very eager to test out some of the quarterback prospects the Giants were meeting with in Indianapolis.
One of the most memorable moments from their conversation came when Daniels learned a new play from Daboll.
Later, while answering another question later in the session, the Giants coach stopped Daniels and had him recite the play.
