Patriots make it clear at trade deadline just how much they believe in Drake Maye

The New England Patriots have lacked the discipline and structure that former head coach Bill Belichick brought to the team. Sloppy play, penalties, and poor fundamentals have caused the team to lose seven of their nine games, sinking them to the cellar of the standings. 

It’s quite a jarring fall from grace for the NFL’s greatest dynasty, but hope for better days has not yet vanished in New England. Some early bumps and bruises are to be expected for a team that has a first-time general manager and first-time head coach leading a rookie quarterback.

With their 2024 season effectively over, the Patriots were expected to trade away players who weren’t a part of the team’s long-term plans. New England wide receivers Kendrick Bourne, K.J. Osborn and Tyquan Thornton were all mentioned as potential trade candidates. 

Yet, unlike many of their fellow two-win teams, New England opted not to strip the roster down for parts. 

Patriots prioritized Drake Maye’s development at trade deadline

Aside from sending linebacker Josh Uche to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Patriots decided to stand pat before the trade deadline at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

“For us, it's about value,” head coach Jerod Mayo said, per Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal. “It's about thinking about the present and also about the future.”

The Patriots were facing an interesting dilemma. Selling some of the veteran players would have provided the team with draft picks to invest in their future, but it also could have hindered the development of rookie quarterback Drake Maye, who the Patriots selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Ultimately, the decision comes down to a simple question of value. Would a future late-round draft pick be more valuable than keeping those wide receivers for Maye’s development?

New England didn’t have to look far to find the answer to that question. The Carolina Panthers are a perfect case study of what happens when a team trades away all of its offensive talent and then asks a rookie quarterback to succeed. 

The Panthers shipped star running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver D.J. Moore to the Chicago Bears, then asked quarterback Bryce Young to step in and throw to a group of castoffs in his rookie season.

The decision to hang on to Bourne, Osborn and Thornton expresses that New England has faith in Maye, and they believe the strides he makes this season will be far more valuable than any fifth- or sixth-round pick they could have received.