New England Patriots Received Big Offers For No. 3 Pick In NFL Draft

Highlights

High demand for QBs in the NFL led to massive trade offers for the third overall pick.
The Giants were desperate to replace Daniel Jones, offering future picks to secure Drake Maye.
The Vikings aggressively pursued a QB, offering three first-round picks, but eventually settled for J.J. McCarthy.

The demand for a competent QB in the NFL may be nearing all-time highs.

In the days prior to the 2024 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots, who held the third overall pick in this year’s draft, were approached by two teams with two massive offers.

The Minnesota Vikings and the New York Giants, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, both put forth tremendous offers in an attempt to secure the former UNC Tar Heel, Drake Maye.

Given the sheer magnitude of draft capital that was being sent New England’s way in exchange for the third overall pick, it seems to be a testament to the idea that the demand for a QB in the NFL has reached a fever pitch. Additionally, each team’s reported offer carries its own set of implications, and could potentially reveal some of the beliefs held by these two front offices.

2024 NFL Draft Marvin Harrison Jr, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Drake Maye, and Caleb Williams

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Giants Draft Nabers, Wanted Maye

The Giants were willing to bet their future on the UNC product

New York Giants' owner John Mara — Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants have fallen on hard times recently. They just lost their best offensive weapon, Saquon Barkley, to a divisional rival, and their four-year, $160 million deal with Daniel Jones has yielded less than stellar results.

However, the consensus, prior to this news, was that they would be comfortable with Jones remaining as the starter for another season. This trade offer seems to suggest that they are much less comfortable with Jones than they may have initially led us to believe.

The Giants reportedly offered both the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and their first-round draft pick for the 2025 NFL Draft. Not only were they willing to trade up to replace Jones, they were willing to trade away their future if it meant landing Maye as his replacement.

Giants Offer: No. 6 Overall Pick (2024) and 2025 1st Round Pick for No. 3 Overall Pick (2024)

Malik Nabers is a spectacular consolation prize, and they will surely enjoy having him for years to come, but the stench of desperation surrounding this trade attempt from New York may very well be the first indication that this will be Daniel Jones’ final season in New York. Conveniently, the Giants have an out on his contract this upcoming offseason should they be willing to eat the $22.21 million dead cap hit.

Vikings Tried To Go All In

Minnesota offered an impressive haul in hopes of landing Maye

Vikings Draft Room — Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings

Unlike the Giants, who were able to grab an elite WR in order to help Jones gut out one last year of a contract, the Vikings were left without an option heading into this year’s draft. With Kirk Cousins now residing in Atlanta, they desperately needed to find their star WR, Justin Jefferson, a signal caller to keep him happy.

Understandably, Minnesota did everything short of backing up the Brinks truck to the Patriots front office. The Vikings offer dwarfed that of New York’s, with Minnesota ultimately offering the Patriots three first-round picks.

The Vikings were willing to part ways with the 11th and 23rd overall picks in this year’s draft, in addition to their 2025 first-round pick. Initially requesting some favorable pick swaps in return, Minnesota reportedly increased its final offer up until the final moments.

Vikings Offer: No. 11 and No. 23 Overall Picks (2024), 2025 1st Rounder, Pick Swaps For No. 3 Overall Pick (2024)

The team still managed to secure a QB for Jefferson, as they selected Michigan darling and national champion, J.J. McCarthy, after trading up one pick to tenth overall. However, it seems relatively safe to assume that no one is as fond of McCarthy as they are of Maye based on the scale of those offers.

However, it’s clear that the city is willing to embrace McCarthy as the future of their franchise. Ironically enough, Breer reported that the interest from Kevin O’Connell and Brian Daboll only “…emboldened New England to stay put.”

With each team having chosen their guy for the upcoming 2024 regular season, the only thing left to speculate on now is how they finish come January.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.