With the New England Patriots moving on from head coach Bill Belichick, they have already made one major move this offseason. The next major move could be making a change at the quarterback position.
Armed with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Patriots are in prime position to select one of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s class. Many mock drafts have whoever is left between Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye heading to New England with Caleb Williams going first overall.
However, Chad Reuter of NFL.com has the Patriots going in a different direction. In his recent three-round mock draft, New England comes away with a new starting quarterback, but it isn’t a rookie.
Instead, Reuter has the Patriots making a trade for Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears. With Williams going to Chicago with the first pick in his mock draft, Fields is available and Reuter sends him to New England with a hypothetical trade.
NFL News & Rumors: Justin Fields, 2024 NFL Draft, Chicago Bears New England Patriots Updates
To land Fields, the Patriots agree to send the No. 3 pick, a 2024 fourth-round pick and conditional 2025 pick to the Bears. Along with Fields, Chicago sends the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to New England as well.
With the No. 3 pick, the Bears select Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., giving Williams another elite weapon in the passing game along with D.J. Moore to work with. At No. 9, the Patriots select star Penn State tackle Olu Fashanu to shore up the offensive line.
That is a steep price for the Patriots to pay to acquire Fields. Moving down six spots in the first round and surrendering two future draft picks is similar to the deal the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets completed for Aaron Rodgers last offseason, which Reuter cited. Rodgers, however, is a future Hall of Famer, while Fields has gone 10-28 as a starter.
If the Patriots presented the Bears with this trade offer, they would sprint to the phone and call it in to the NFL offices. Coming away with Williams, Harrison and two future picks while only trading away Fields would be another massive coup for Ryan Poles.
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