The New England Patriots missed out on star wide receiver target Mike Evans in free agency, and now it appears they may be facing an uphill battle with free agent quarterback Baker Mayfield as well.
Mayfield was viewed as an option that would make sense for the organization. Much of the Patriots’ coaching staff has familiarity with the quarterback from their days in Cleveland. On top of this, Mayfield is coming off a stellar 2023 season, where he tallied 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Mayfield would make sense for the Patriots as a bridge quarterback. However, a report from The Athletic’s Chad Graff indicates that New England is not high on Mayfield’s list of destinations.
Graff wrote:
But it doesn’t appear that interest is mutual. Early indications are that Mayfield plans to consider other options — likely the Buccaneers, Vikings and Falcons — before the Patriots could become serious contenders for his services. He could command more than $30 million per year, according to a league source. In short, despite the Patriots’ connections to Mayfield, New England is not expected to be at the top of his wish list.
This is certainly not an ideal report, given that a veteran quarterback would make sense for New England.
An ideal situation would be one where New England developed a rookie quarterback, with a veteran coming in to make the development process smoother. However, it appears that is going to be a lot easier said than done.
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