The New England Patriots ultimately decided to keep the No. 3 pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft and take North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.
But at least two teams made strong offers to acquire the pick from the Patriots.
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported that two NFC teams called the Patriots and made offers, but it wasn't enough to get New England to move the No. 3 pick.
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"The Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants did make offers to the New England Patriots for the No. 3 pick to take Drake Maye," Breer wrote Friday. "Earlier this week, Minnesota offered the Nos. 11 and 23 picks, and its 2025 first-rounder, with pick swaps favoring the Vikings as part of the proposal; and that offer ticked up with New England on the clock. The Giants, meanwhile, did wind up putting their 2025 first-round pick in their offer to move from No. 6 to No. 3.
"Ultimately, nothing came close to moving the Patriots off their choice. In fact, that Kevin O’Connell and Brian Daboll were the head coaches interested, only emboldened New England to stay put."
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If the Patriots think Maye can be a franchise quarterback, then it made the most sense to keep the pick and take him.
The AFC is absolutely loaded with elite quarterbacks, and if the Patriots are going to be a contender in the conference anytime soon, they'll need a top 10 or top 15 player at that position. Maye has all the physical tools to be a very good pro quarterback. It's now up to the Patriots to develop Maye and surround him with enough high-end skill on offense. Addressing needs at wide receiver and offensive tackle on Day 2 of the draft would be a good step forward in that regard.
The Vikings did end up getting a quarterback in Round 1 despite not being able to move up to No. 3. They traded up from No. 11 to No. 10 in a deal with the New York Jets to select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The Giants stayed at No. 6 and took LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers. New York currently has five more picks in the 2024 draft, including No. 47 overall (from the Seahawks) in the second round.
We probably won't know for a few years whether the Patriots made the right decision to turn down these trade offers from the Giants and Vikings. But it's hard, at least in the moment, to fault the Patriots for taking a chance on a prospect like Maye. His potential is fantastic.