Both the Giants and Vikings submitted viable offers to the Patriots for the No. 3 overall pick last year, with each NFC franchise eyeing Drake Maye. Each would have netted the Pats an additional second-rounder in last year’s draft and a first this year. New York’s proposal would have given New England this year’s third overall choice, but Maye now serves as the Pats’ franchise centerpiece. Ultimately, then-acting GM Eliot Wolf and ownership stayed and picked Maye. Though, there appeared to be some supporters of accepting a trade-down offer. At the time, it is believed OC Alex Van Pelt was among those who viewed the Pats’ roster as too deficient to pass on moving down, the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin notes.
While it may not be certain Mike Vrabel moves on from Van Pelt, the OC effectively confirmed this by telling friends he had been fired following the team’s Week 18 game. This came despite the organization being pleased with how he had helped develop Maye. Vrabel’s next play-caller’s chief assignment will be elevating Maye to another level in 2025.
Here is the latest from the AFC East:
- In December, Davante Adams was noncommittal about his Jets future. After all, the player responsible for him being traded to New York — Aaron Rodgers — appears on his way out. After the season, Adams did not confirm (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini) he would be following Rodgers out the door, but he said staying with the team post-Rodgers would depend on a few factors. Adams’ Raiders-built contract runs through 2026. Allen Lazard was more enthusiastic about staying with the Jets. The lower-profile Rodgers come-with guy at receiver, Lazard went from being a healthy scratch at a point in 2023 to totaling 530 yards and six touchdowns this season. Lazard said (via Cimini) he wants to stay and later retire a Jet. Though, his four-year, $44MM contract would produce $11MM in savings if removed from the payroll via a post-June 1 release.
- Calais Campbell said before season’s end he was not closing the door on playing an 18th NFL season, and the accomplished defensive lineman noted after the Dolphins‘ year wrapped (via ESPN.com’s Marcel Louis-Jacques) that he will consider an age-39 slate. Campbell notched five sacks, and his 12 tackles for loss were his most since 2018. The Dolphins had him on their books for just $2MM this season, and after they nearly traded him back to the Ravens at the deadline, it stands to reason the Miami alum will look into landing with a contender soon.
- Elsewhere on the Dolphins’ roster, both Jaelan Phillips and Austin Jackson are expected to be fine for the 2025 opener, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson tweets. Phillips, who suffered an Achilles tear in 2023 and a partially torn ACL this season, is going into his fifth-year option campaign. Jackson, who suffered a meniscus tear, is tied to a three-year, $36MM extension. Swing tackle Kendall Lamm is almost definitely set to depart in free agency, Jackson adds. The Dolphins’ Patrick Paul second-round draft choice had pointed the veteran elsewhere. That said, Grier said the Dolphins “are going to have to” invest in O-linemen this offseason. While the team has three higher-end tackle investments under contract, its interior situation is less solidified.
- Staying with O-lines, Vrabel confirmed (via the Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi) the Patriots‘ front will be a priority this offseason. This echoes a recent report that suggested OL and WR would be New England’s top target areas. The Pats struggled up front, with the loss of David Andrews and the left tackle carousel being among the issues. Vrabel leaned on the ground game in Tennessee, largely because of Derrick Henry‘s presence, but the Pats have by far the most cap space exiting the season. With questions existing just about everywhere outside of Michael Onwenu‘s presence (and even his position has fluctuated), allocating considerable resources up front seems likely as the Pats attempt to protect Maye.
“New York’s proposal would have given New England this year’s third overall choice”
The Giants likely wouldn’t be picking 3rd if they were able to turn to Maye as soon as Jones began faltering, in my opinion, so I’m not sure NE would have picks 3 and 4 right now.
Yea you’re right, probably a top 10 though still
I agree with you there completely. I just don’t like when people discuss altering events in a timeline then fail to note the change would have an impact on the alternative outcome. If NE does that, they might be picking 1 and have NYG’s top 10 pick, but we’ll never know the exact result, so I don’t think the author should definitively say they’d have pick 4.
I probably sound like I’m worked up about this, but I’m really not haha I just think it’s the author isn’t viewing that non-event correctly.
To say that the interior of the Dolphins offensive line needs work would be one of the great understatements of all-time. There are high school teams with better guard play. To be clear, the tackles are no great rave either, just exponentially less awful than the guards…….
Let’s assume the Patriots would have had picks 3 and 4 this year. Even though they could of filled a few different holes in last years NFL draft by trading down, the fact remains that I didn’t personally view Penix, McCarthy, or Nix in the same “franchise” caliber league that I thought Maye could be, which is why the Giants and Vikings wanted to trade up. I don’t personally view Cam Ward or Sanders in that light either, so even if a QB fell to 3 in this draft, they still wouldn’t have a franchise QB, and without one of those in the today’s NFL you are almost dead in the water, regardless of the talent around them(Pittsburgh is a good example of this), and who knows how long you may have to wait to find one again.
Right. You always need to grab the QB if you think he’s a franchise QB, like last year. Otherwise, trading down is usually the best move, like this year, unless you’re convinced that the player you can select in your current slot is a game changer that you can’t get in the traded down slot.
There’s a lot of question marks about Maye. He’s a big guy with a ton of talent but in college he didn’t have the reliability in terms of reads or arm which Daniels and Williams had shown. Maye should probably have been in in-between high ceiling high risk prospect (Penix, McCarthy, Nix all as moderately low-ceiling prospects).
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Jets receivers. Sure Lazard is due $11 million. Have you seen the prices on #2 receivers these days? $11 million sounds just fine. Lazard has not been a great #2 (40 catches on 60 targets, about 550 yds) but he’s also a 6’5″ 230 lb target. Big bodied wide receivers with reasonably good hands are going at a premium. I don’t know about Lazard’s blocking but if it’s any good at all, Lazard at $11 million should be considered a roster asset not a cut candidate.
Lazard is good at blocking… because he has hands of stone. He’s more akin to a Mack Hollins type than an actual number two receiver.
As for Maye, I think he’s a damn good prospect. He’d be an easy, easy number one in this current class.
I think you’re understanding Maye. There’s a reason teams wanted to trade up to get him. And there’s a reason NE didn’t trade down. He looked mostly good this season behind a paper thin OL and throwing to WRs who can’t get separation.