With the 2025 NFL offseason officially underway and free agency right around the corner, Patriots fans have focused on who the team can sign to massively improve the roster with the league-high cap space they have to play with. The hope is that they will address their biggest needs in free agency, therefore allowing them to take on a different strategy in the draft.
By signing quality free agents to fill the most dire roster holes, the new regime led by Mike Vrabel could veer a little away from solely drafting for needs and selecting the best player available when they're on the clock, a luxury they haven't had over the last five years. Having the fourth overall pick puts them in a good spot to do that, especially with certain players expected to be available when it's time to pick.
That is the goal for most analysts and fans who have their eyes set on a guy like Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter for the Patriots first round pick. Although the defense needs a lot of upgrades, the offense has continued to be in the front seat in most mock drafts under the assumption they don't fill those positions in free agency.
If they do, though, Carter is still very much on the table for New England. Snagging the best EDGE player of the class would be a big win for Vrabel and Co. unless a newly proposed trade gets in the way of the dream scenario.
NFL draft expert proposed a monster trade that would throw away Patriots first-round draft hopes
With a few teams looking for a new quarterback for the 2025 season, there is much speculation about what veterans might be put on the trade block. NFL draft expert Daniel Jeremiah suggests the Rams could do that with Matthew Stafford.
Although the Rams haven't suggested they're willing to move on from the quarterback, they do have an out written in his contract for 2025, so it's entirely possible they could trade him instead of just letting him walk.
Jeremiah suggested that the Giants would be a good suitor for the veteran, who will have the third overall pick in the upcoming draft, but believes they could get a deal done without including that selection.
I’d be so fascinated to see what trade compensation would look like if Giants traded for Stafford. If they could hold onto 3rd pick, they could have some really fun options.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) February 12, 2025
Because they pick one spot ahead of the Patriots, getting a quarterback through a trade would take them out of the running for the only two quarterbacks considered a first-round pick of the 2025 class. This means the Giants could be in the running to draft a guy like Abdul Carter before the Patriots could.
Carter might not be the end-all, be-all for New England at No. 4, but considering the other options, he has been labeled as the best pick at that spot. Almost any other player has analysts and experts suggesting they trade down instead, which would take them out of the running for several other top players, too.
While adding more draft picks to the stockpile is never bad, losing out on Carter because the Giants addressed their biggest weakness in free agency would be a massive blow to what the Patriots are (likely) hoping to accomplish with their first-round pick.
Thankfully, Jeremiah is only thinking out loud about what could happen rather than reporting anything legitimately from the Rams or the Giants, so that's the only optimism we can hold onto right now until a real report is released about either team's interest in completing this trade. For the foreseeable future, let's hope that never happens.