A Giants-Patriots trade to replace Daniel Jones with Drake Maye

The New England Patriots are officially open for business. Despite an obvious need at quarterback and the impending availability of a very solid QB prospect in the No. 3 spot in this week’s NFL Draft, New England could move back for the right price.

If the Pats do indeed trade the pick, few teams make a more logical trade partner than the New York Giants. Stationed precariously at No. 6, the Giants are just out of reach of the draft’s top QB prospects. Daniel Jones is cemented as the Week 1 starter right now, but his contract is off the books next season and the Giants could get a head start on cultivating his replacement.

For New York, this is a chance to land the obvious best prospect available (within the realm of possibility). Barring a true shock, Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels will be off the board at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Despite a surge in support for Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy, North Carolina’s Drake Maye is a top-shelf prospect at football’s most important position. He would and should be the Giants’ man. He should be the Patriots’ man, frankly.

But, we are living in a hypothetical world here. Patriots de facto GM Eliot Wolf is running point for the New England front office, but president Jonathan Kraft is “heavily involved in the decision making,” per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. That is not a great sign for the Pats faithful. When the non-football experts are in charge, wacky stuff can happen.

Here’s the godfather offer New York could present to the Patriots to land Maye in the Big Apple.

Patriots-Giants NFL Draft trade to land Drake Maye in New York

The Patriots occupy a position of power here. Maye is better than your average QB3 on draft night, and the Giants won’t be the only team bidding to move up. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network expects six quarterbacks to fly off the board in the first round. Only three can go Top 3. Teams interested in the crème de la crème, rather than reaching on a second-tier prospect, need to move up.

This is a lot for New York to sacrifice. The Carolina Panthers’ trade for Bryce Young last spring is a prime example of the risks of mortgaging your future on an unproven NFL player. Young has potential once the Panthers figure out the supporting cast, but he is quickly approaching flop territory. Carolina would have held the No. 1 pick this season with a chance to draft Caleb Williams — a much better QB prospect — had they avoided the temptation to move up in 2023.

New England also needs to think long and hard about this proposal. The Patriots have several needs, but Jacoby Brissett is little more than a one-year rental at QB. Maye has franchise-leading potential. If the Patriots trade back to No. 6, it’s likely to draft a wide receiver. That could mean New England doesn’t get any of the top-six or seven QB prospects, unless the Patriots back up later in the first round.

Are the Pats comfortable kicking the can down the road at QB? It’s certainly not the worst plan, but it’s one that could frustrate New England fans looking for the instant gratification of a splashy rookie signal-caller.

We are a few days away from what promises to be a hectic first round. Only time will tell if the Giants call pull off a move of this magnitude.