One week before the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Patriots are telling the world they are willing to trade the No. 3 overall pick.
This may be a typical pre-draft stance as the team is in need of a new franchise quarterback, but New England is serving as the team’s de facto general manager after Bill Belichick departs in January. ‘s scouting director, Elliott Wolfe, sent the message Thursday during a conversation with reporters.
“We’re open to anything going up or down,” Wolf said. “We’re open in the first round and all rounds. We have some holes that we think need to be filled in the draft, but we’re a team that drafts and develops. The more picks we have, the better. That’s fine. But if there’s an opportunity to step up and attack in a way that the board recommends, we’re not afraid to pull the trigger.”
Belichick’s 24th season with the Patriots was a disastrous season, going 4-13, and he and the team parted ways.
And while the Patriots had a top-three pick, they traded Mac Jones, a 2021 first-round pick who failed to become a franchise QB, to the Jaguars for a 2024 sixth-round pick.
The Bears are certain to take USC quarterback Caleb Williams at No. 1 after trading Justin Fields to the Steelers, and the draft begins right at No. 2 with the Commanders.
Washington is also expected to take a quarterback, with LSU’s Jaden Daniels, UNC’s Drake Maye and Michigan’s JJ McCarthy among the other potential candidates.
If the Patriots want those three picks, it’s unclear whether their manager would be willing to move one pick lower.
If the Patriots are comfortable trading away the top quarterback available and entering 2024 with Jacoby Brissett as the starter, they could potentially make a big profit by trading down.
The 31-year-old Brissett, who was a third-round pick of the Patriots in 2016 and spent his rookie year in New England, returned to the team this offseason on a one-year, $8 million contract.
He played four seasons with the Colts before spending the last three years bouncing between the Commanders, Browns and Dolphins.
