Could NFL’s Interest In Jayden Daniels Signal Patriots Trade Back?

The Patriots will (all but certainly) have their pick between two quarterbacks when they’re on the clock at No. 3 in the 2024 NFL Draft: UNC’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels.

New England doesn’t have to select either one, though.

It would probably piss a lot of people off, but given the amount of holes Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf has to fill, it might make sense to move back and collect assets as he kickstarts a multi-year rebuild. It’s impossible to count the amount of factors that go into a decision like that, but Thursday morning might have provided a few more that have New England leaning in the direction of a draft-day trade.

Daniels is packing his schedule between Thursday and April 25.

He’s set to meet with the New York Giants on Monday for a Top 30 visit, as shared by agent Ron Butler, through Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. It doesn’t stop there, however, as the Heisman Trophy winner will then travel west for a private meeting with the Minnesota Vikings.

The Giants (No. 6) and Vikings (No. 11) don’t pick until after the Patriots, though. Could their sudden interest in Daniels signal the league expects New England to move back? Is there a level of desperation for those teams to possibly move up?

It’s not too crazy a thought.

Wolf has been linked to Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy lately, and by moving back to No. 6, it can be assumed the Patriots would have a shot at both landing him and future picks. If New England were to move back to No. 11, they might not get the QB, but could also grab Minnesota’s pick at No. 23 as well as future selections.

The Patriots are in a solid spot to potentially fleece a team that believes it’s only a quarterback away from contending.

Will they pull the trigger? That remains to be seen.