Nick Wright has lost his mind with latest Patriots-Baker Mayfield take

If the New England Patriots‘ offseason hasn’t frustrated fans enough, then perhaps hot-take machine Nick Wright will do the trick.

This week, much of the NFL discourse has focused on Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield after Cleveland acquired Deshaun Watson via trade and gave him a $230 million guaranteed contract. Now the former No. 1 overall pick is undoubtedly on the block, but it’s unclear what team could use him.

Well, if you ask Wright, he thinks nine teams could! (It was 10, but then the Colts acquired Matt Ryan from the Falcons on Monday afternoon.) And you guessed it — he thinks the Patriots are one of them.

Talking about what teams could “upgrade” at the QB position with Mayfield, Wright listed the Patriots as one of the squads involved (at least they were the final team he mentioned, though).

Nick Wright thinks the Patriots can upgrade with Baker Mayfield over Mac Jones

OK. OK. Is Mayfield “better” than Mac Jones at this very moment? Let’s think about that quickly with a level head.

Um … not really! Jones threw for 3,801 yards (along with 22 touchdowns) his rookie season with minimal weapons in a run-first offense. Mayfield’s career-highs with Cleveland (and ample offensive weapons!) remain 3,827 yards (in 2019) and 26 touchdowns (2020). He also has 56 career interceptions in 60 games.

Not many would go as far to say Mayfield is a bad quarterback, but when you’re choosing between him and Jones, it’s an obvious no-brainer. Mayfield is in the final year of his rookie deal (which is pricey) whereas Jones has four years left on his and has arguably shown more promise than Mayfield has up until this point in his career.

Technically, you could argue it’d be an “upgrade” because of Mayfield’s experience, but that’s it. The conversation doesn’t go further than that. Jones is clearly on the trajectory to be a franchise quarterback and has proven that with his play, leadership and ability to handle the media.

Mayfield’s play has been sporadic at best and he’s constantly making headlines for unattractive reasons, whether that be his fault or those who cover him. Either way, it’s a distracting situation, one that Jones does not attract.

So yeah, the Patriots are just fine with their No. 15 overall pick from 2021. No upgrades needed here … especially ones with a volatile track record and a $18.5 million price tag.

Russell Wilson trade puts more pressure on Mac Jones in stacked AFC

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones will be faced with even more scrutiny this season after the Broncos pulled off a Russell Wilson trade.