6 Offseason Moves the Patriots Must Make to Return to the Playoffs Next Season

1. Land a starting QB in the draft or trade for Justin Fields

The Mac Jones era never took off so the Patriots still need to figure out who will be their next franchise quarterback. As it stands now, they’re picking third overall in the NFL Draft, which means they could land a rookie. The Chicago Bears are expected to take Caleb Williams but this class is rather strong with Drake Maye and Jaden Daniels there as well. They could even trade down to add more picks and target J.J. McCarthy or Micheal Penix.

We don’t know for sure which of these quarterbacks will transition to the NFL and become long-term starters but the Patriots could at least land someone with the potential to hold the job down.

Another option would be to try and trade for Justin Fields. With Chicago set to draft Williams, Fields is believed to be on the trading block. Offering the third overall pick isn’t the way to go but a package headlined by No. 34 could work.

Fields got a raw deal in Chicago since the roster around him was pretty rough. He did finally get a No. 1 receiver this year when they landed D.J. Moore and Fields showed marked improvement.

The third-year quarterback had 2,562 yards with 16 touchdowns and nine picks while adding 657 yards and four touchdowns as a runner. He played just 13 games but was improving as the season went along, leading the Bears to a 4-2 record down the stretch. The Patriots would need to build around him but adding a player who has shown he can play at a high level would give them a jump start over any rookie.

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