Adam Schefter Reveals Patriots Tried to Trade for a QB Before Drafting Drake Maye
By Cem Yolbulan
The wait is over and the New England Patriots finally have their quarterback after they selected Drake Maye out of North Carolina with their third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
After months of speculation about what the Patriots are going to do with their first-round pick, they settled on the talented 21-year-old to lead New England to a new, post-Bill Belichick era. That doesn't mean, however, that this was an easy decision for the Patriots' top brass. In fact, according to the latest reporting, they were focused on a different quarterback until recently.
Adam Schefter on ESPN revealed the shocking report during the draft that the Patriots, along with the Minnesota Vikings, reached out to the Los Angeles Chargers to trade for Justin Herbert.
Patriots News: New England Tried To Trade for Justin Herbert
In recent weeks, both the Patriots and Vikings reached out to the Chargers to see if they had any interest in trading QB Justin Herbert, per league sources. The answer was, very quickly, “a flat no.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 26, 2024
Not only do the Chargers love Herbert, but they also would have had to take on… pic.twitter.com/4ZqBFOfQzd
The Chargers understandably rejected the trade offer with a "flat no". Herbert has been excellent for the Chargers ever since he was drafted with the sixth-overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Los Angeles may have underwhelmed in the meantime, missing the postseason three out of his last four seasons there, but Herbert has quickly established himself as one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL.
It is therefore no surprise that the Patriots wanted to see if they could acquire him. The Chargers are entering a new phase with Jim Harbaugh as the decision-maker and the rebuilding there will likely take a few seasons. But, it would be organizational malpractice for any team to part ways with a QB of Justin Herbert's caliber before giving him a shot under a coach like Harbaugh.
When the Patriots couldn't land Herbert, they clearly shifted their focus to the signal-callers in the draft. And with Drake Maye being a consensus top-three pick in the draft, the Patriots gladly selected him and made him the new face of the franchise.
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