The Patriots continue to make quarterback news this week. After Tom Brady's big interview on Monday (more on that shortly) comes speculation that the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft could have gone No. 2… to New England?
That's what Baker Mayfield's agent seems to have suggested during a recent podcast interview.
"When he visited the Jets, they pretty much said, 'You're our guy if you're there [at No. 3]," Jack Mills said on The Business of Sports with Andrew Brandt.
"Another team had said, 'You may get a big surprise on draft day, at No. 2, if he's available.' And it was the Patriots. They had 23 and they had 31 and they had two seconds. We thought, 'That's going to be a heck of a move, to get up that high from where they are.' And of course he wasn't available, so, we never knew if that was a reality or not."
Sports website The Athletic adds further detail to the Mayfield story.
"In the weeks leading up to the draft, the Patriots kept trying to meet Mayfield for an interview, but Mayfield repeatedly declined their efforts because he didn't believe they had a chance to take him," the writer explains in part. "Of course, the Patriots' first pick was at No. 23, so Mayfield recognized they'd have to trade up at least 20 spots to get him.
"Finally, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels told a member of Mayfield's camp the Pats were indeed considering that type of scenario. As such, Mayfield granted the meeting with the Patriots a week before the draft."
A WEEI.com column takes the analysis a step further, suggesting that, if the Patriots were in fact trying to find a viable future replacement for Brady, they have an alternative to drafting a high-profile QB like Mayfield.
Meanwhile, Brady isn't ready to say goodbye to football yet, as he made clear this week. Ever since his hour-long interview in California, local media have been offering all sorts of opinions and examinations of everything he said.
The Boston Herald says Brady’s comments were more revealing than usual, while *The Boston Globe *maintains that Brady is now doing things on his own terms. NBC Sports Boston's website offers an opinion piece that asserts Brady had it both ways with what he said on Monday. And boston.com lists five things learned from Brady’s latest interview.
Elsewhere, the Houston Chronicle reports that the Texans have hired an important Patriots scout away from New England's personnel department.
Finally, newcomer Jeremy Hill met with New England media on Tuesday. The veteran free agent running back also appeared on the PFW in Progress radio show/podcast. Give it a listen (in the first hour of the program) to hear what he thinks about his new environment here in Foxborough.
