New Patriots rumor says Robert Kraft shut down blockbuster trade

Throughout the overwhelming amount of back-and-forth reporting regarding the Patriots’ interest in DeAndre Hopkins and Jerry Jeudy has now surrounded the potential trade for Lamar Jackson from the Ravens.

New England has been connected to the quarterback since he was drafted in 2018. They had pre-draft meetings with Jackson and were said to be impressed by him, so much so they had considered drafting him as Tom Brady’s eventual successor.

That didn’t happen, and now that they have their chance to get a quarterback they feel they may have missed out on, the Jackson to the Patriots speculation has reached new heights.

Then came Robert Kraft’s off-the-cuff comment to end his media availability on Tuesday.

"“Meek Mill texted and said, ‘Lamar Jackson wants to come to the Patriots. I said, ‘That’s Bill Belichick’s decision.”"

Whether or not the rapper was telling the truth or possibly trying to influence a big trade to his billionaire friend is unknown. But the fact that Kraft publicly shared this information sent shockwaves through New England, especially coming on the heels of his repeated support of Mac Jones as the starting quarterback.

The added part about the decision to make the trade for Jackson being left to Belichick was also interesting, as most had assumed Kraft was involved with player acquisitions in some capacity. But this opened the door to the inner workings of the Patriots, something most people have not even heard a whisper about throughout the last two decades.

Of course, the idea of Jackson landing with the Patriots kicked off countless new articles and several different reactions to those around New England, with many fans hoping to see the blockbuster trade get done.

But Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard shot down the possibility on Tuesday, claiming ownership (including Kraft) has been showing hesitancy to pursue the trade, according to alleged “high-ranking sources.”

"“In fact, even if (Bill) Belichick wanted to pursue Jackson, he would not find support from ownership, sources said. The Patriots believe that Mac Jones deserves a real shot after not being put in a position to succeed by Belichick last season — something Robert Kraft touched on with his comments on Monday.With Belichick and the Patriots, you can’t 100 percent rule anything out. However, high-ranking sources basically scoffed at the Patriots pursuing Jackson and feel that Kraft would not be on board.”"

Considering the amount of conflicting reports about several players the Patriots have shown interest in over the last few weeks, it’s possible this situation could change.

However, Jeff Howe of The Athletic also recently reported that New England won’t be pursuing Jackson, so there may be more credibility to this story than others.