The New England Patriots received plenty of offers to give up the No. 3 overall pick they held in the 2024 NFL Draft. While they took Drake Maye in that spot, a trade may not have yielded horrific results.
In an appearance on Boston radio station 98.5 The Sports Hub, Sports Illustrated writer Albert Breer revealed that two teams approached the Patriots with offers to move up to that No. 3 spot.
‘So the Vikings offered them the 11th pick, the 23rd pick a 2025 first-round pick,’ Breer said in the appearance. ‘So they were offered three first-round picks and then pick swaps later on.
‘And then the Giants offered their first-round pick, which was sixth. So they would only have to move down three spots. Then their 2025 first-round pick. Then, I believe, a third-round pick.’
New England decided to pass on those offers, selecting Maye after the Chicago Bears selected Caleb Williams first overall and the Washington Commanders picked Jayden Daniels second.
But a look at who the Patriots could have been in the market for if they accepted those trades results in some interesting possibilities.
The New England Patriots received multiple offers to give up the pick they used on Drake Maye
New England took Maye with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but had offers from both the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Giants which could’ve yielded different results
Let’s start with Minnesota. In 2024, the Vikings ended up trading up to the No. 10 spot to draft Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy. The move saw them move up one place, with the New York Jets taking Penn State offensive lineman Olu Fashanu 11th overall.
If the Patriots didn’t take McCarthy (or, if New England traded down and then another team jumped ahead of them), then there are a pair of interesting selections they could have made.
At the No. 12 spot in the 2024 draft, the Denver Broncos took Oregon quarterback Bo Nix. The next pick went to the Las Vegas Raiders, who selected Georgia tight end Brock Bowers.
Nix showed promise in his first season in Denver, but has appeared to struggle in 2025. Bowers, however, is one of the top tight ends in the game in just his second season.
New England desperately needed a replacement for the hapless Mac Jones and his similarly struggling backup Bailey Zappe, meaning they would have likely taken Nix.
However, the concept of the Patriots taking a very talented tight end is something the organization has done well to varying degrees in the past (consider Rob Gronkowski) and would solve a need they currently have – the desire for a better pass catching corps.
But what about the 23rd pick? In 2024, the Vikings swapped that pick with the Jacksonville Jaguars – moving up to 17th to take Alabama pass rusher Dallas Turner.
At 23, Jacksonville selected their current star wide receiver: Pro Bowler Brian Thomas Jr. out of LSU. The Patriots could have very easily taken Thomas, which would have supplied Nix with a top target.
Alternate options which solve current needs include Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold (taken 24th by the Detroit Lions), Arizona offensive tackle Jordan Morgan (taken 25th by the Green Bay Packers), or Duke center Graham Barton (picked 26th by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers).
If they took the Vikings’ offer, they’d have gotten the pick Minnesota used on QB JJ McCarthy
The Patriots could have also taken either Bo Nix (L) or Brock Bowers (R) with that pick
With the 23rd pick, the Patriots would’ve been in line to select Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr.
Finally, the offer of a 2025 first-round pick would be hard to assess. With Maye, it’s unclear how the Vikings would have fared in the 2024 season. The selection of McCarthy ended up being a fortunate disaster after the rookie suffered a season ending injury in training camp. But, with Sam Darnold, the Vikings had their best campaign in recent memory.
As such, they picked 24th overall and took Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson. If the Patriots picked at 24, they could have done the same.
Or, if they really didn’t like what they saw in Nix (or if they needed to get a better passer for Bowers and Thomas Jr), they could have taken the next-best quarterback available on the list: Ole Miss star and current New York Giants hope Jaxson Dart.
That brings us to the New York Giants. In 2024, rather than take a quarterback like McCarthy, Nix, or Michael Penix Jr, the G-Men upgraded at wide receiver and took LSU star Malik Nabers.
It’s likely the Patriots could have taken Nabers with this deal, however, that’s not clear-cut considering the other quarterback prospects still on the board.
The 2025 pick that the Patriots would have netted ended up being the third-overall pick which the Giants used to select Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter. New England was a pick just below them and took LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell.
But, much like with the Vikings, the Patriots situation may look different without Maye at the helm. Going into the last week of the season, New England was in the driver’s seat for the first-overall pick but messed up their own tank.
Without Maye, it’s possible their season would’ve been much worse and they would have taken Cam Ward first overall. With that third pick from the Giants trade, it’s more likely the Pats take Campbell, but their need for pass rush help could have led them to taking Carter as well.
With the Vikings’ 2025 first-rounder, the Pats could have taken now-Giants rookie Jaxson Dart
If the Pats took the Giants’ deal, they would be in line to select Malik Nabers 6th in 2024
Finally, Breer did not specify if the third-round pick in question was from the 2024 or 2025 draft. The Giants spent their 2024 pick on cornerback Dru Phillips from Kentucky, while they took Toledo defensive tackle Darius Alexander in 2025.
Regardless, the Patriots selected Maye and it has benefitted them in the current season.
After their poor 2024 campaign, New England is 4-2 and back atop the AFC East.
The Patriots next hit the road to take on the struggling Tennessee Titans.
