03 March 2024 , 03:00
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The New England Patriots are in a pickle and need a new quarterback, but they might not find one in next month's NFL Draft.
The Patriots have the third pick in Detroit and could choose either Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels, who are thought to be the second and third best quarterbacks up for grabs. Both of them would be a big improvement on Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe, who haven't managed to assert themselves as the main quarterbacks in Foxborough over the last few seasons.
However, the Boston Herald says the Patriots are also looking at free agents, including Baker Mayfield who had a great season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mayfield helped the Bucs get to the playoffs while playing on a one-year contract and has now put himself in a good position to sign a big multi-year deal.
Mayfield, who used to play for the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams, is liked by people in Foxborough. He has worked with Alex Van Pelt and T. C. McCartney, the new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, when he was with the Browns.
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Eliot Wolf, de factor general manager of the Patriots, was also part of the team in Cleveland that chose Mayfield as the first pick in 2018. If they choose to go for a quarterback from the free agent market, they could use their pick to get a top offensive player like wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. , Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze.
The New England team might also think about trading back from third overall to get more draft picks and add more players to an offense that really needs to be better. After a season with only 4 wins and 13 losses, the Patriots are starting a big rebuild in Jerod Mayo's first campaign as offensive coordinator and it will probably take more than one draft to make the team really good again.
Jerod Mayo is heading into his first draft as Patriots head coach (No credit)So it's not surprising that the Patriots are thinking about signing a veteran like Mayfield, who had the best year of his career. The 28-year-old was picked for the Pro Bowl for the first time, helped the Bucs win the NFC South title and then beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wildcard round of the playoffs.
Mayfield threw for a career-best 4,044 yards with Tampa Bay, with 28 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. He won't be cheap, though, with the Buccaneers keen to keep him after a successful season.
A contract worth over $100 million (£78 million) could be on the table, but the Patriots have plenty of money to spend. This could allow Mayo to make his mark on other parts of the team.