People always wonder why the New England Patriots always seem to get the upper hand on any NFL trade. Thursday’s news is a great reason as to why.
The Patriots claimed quarterback Matt Corral on waivers on Thursday to back up Mac Jones after he was cut by the Carolina Panthers just a year after he was drafted.
That might not seem like a big deal past Carolina whiffing on Corral as a long-term option, but you have to consider how the Panthers got the pick they used on the former Ole Miss quarterback.
Back in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Panthers traded with the Patriots to snag Corral in the third round and sent the team’s original third in 2023 and a 2022 fourth-round pick back to New England in exchange.
With those picks, the Patriots drafted quarterback Bailey Zappe in 2022 and linebacker Marte Mapu in 2023. Now, New England has Corral, too, which basically means the Panthers just gave away picks to the Patriots for no return in retrospect.
Patriots traded a third-round pick to Carolina in 2022 and they drafted QB Matt Corral.
With the picks received, the Patriots drafted Bailey Zappe and Marte Mapu. And now have Corral.
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) August 31, 2023
They say the NFL is a tough business, and they’re certainly not wrong. The Panthers traded to get a player in the draft that they waived just a year or so later, and the Patriots now have that player, as well as two other players.
If you’re ever curious about how Bill Belichick does it, don’t overthink it. Sometimes, he just gets lucky when another team waves a white flag.