Patriots Rumors: New England ‘Zeroing In’ On Three-Step QB Plan

It's no secret that the 2024 NFL Draft is going to be crucial in the New England Patriots' rebuilding efforts, but any uncertainty leading into the event already appears to be dissipating.

The Patriots reportedly know what they'd like to do.

Karen Guregian, Mark Daniels and Chris Mason of MassLive, citing sources, claim New England is "zeroing in" on a particular plan that will reshape the QB room at One Patriot Place.

The Patriots, according to Guregian, Daniels and Mason, are planning to select a quarterback with the No. 3 pick in the draft. They also intend on signing a veteran free agent signal-caller, too, as the organization is in "no rush" to start a rookie immediately. That would leave Mac Jones on the outside looking in, which leads us to step three of the plan. New England would trade Jones this offseason, which has been expected, if everything fell into place.

New England has a number of options at this point to fill out their depth chart, as it's widely expected that either North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye or LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels will be selected third overall. The Patriots met with both prospects at the combine, and all signs point to the first three picks of the draft being QBs.

Joe Flacco and Jacoby Brissett are two names mentioned as potential fits for the Patriots, as they each worked with members of New England's current offensive coaching staff during their time with the Cleveland Browns.

If the Patriots decided to start a veteran and sit their rookie, it would fall under a similar approach to that of the Green Bay Packers -- whom director of scouting Eliot Wolf spent the majority of his early career with.

It's all lining up perfectly for New England, but anything could change over the next two months to throw a wrench in its plans.