Baker Mayfield's Agent Says the Patriots Were Ready to Trade Up to #2 to Get Him
By Vik Chokshi
Baker Mayfield’s agent Jack Mills joined Andrew Brandt on his Business of Sports podcast today. It’s a great listen, as Mills talked about how he signed Baker, and how teams were enamored with him going into the NFL Draft, among many other things.
Mills also dropped a shocker around the 29 minute mark when he alluded to a surprise team showing interest in Baker. Can you guess who that team was? Mills said it was none other than the New England Patriots!
"“We had another team that said ‘you may get a big surprise on draft day at number two if he is available.’ And that team was… the Patriots.”"
Who knows how true this is, but can you imagine if this actually happened? While I would’ve loved to see the world end if this went down, the bigger question is, would the New York Giants have done it? The Giants general manager Dave Gettleman said that once the Cleveland Browns opted to pick Mayfield as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, he was done listening to trade offers and Saquon Barkley was his guy.
But before that happened, Gettleman did admit on WFAN New York Radio that he had a very reasonable offer on the table for the No. 2 pick.
"“Are you going to be upset if you trade back and don’t get the guy you really like, that you feel can really help your football team?” Gettleman said. “Those are things you’ve got to think about when you start trading back.”"
I personally don’t think it was the Pats who made that offer that Gettleman references or that they were really this interested. Maybe if he slipped a little, but not at 2. So, while I am a Baker fan, I’m calling a little BS on this one.
But maybe the Tom Brady vs. Bill Belichick beef isn’t dead yet, with Brady already pleading the fifth.
Tom Brady was asked today at the Milken Institute Global Conference if he feels appreciated by the Patriots. His response: "I plead the 5th..." pic.twitter.com/8Tl6k5emj9
— Tom E. Curran (@tomecurran) May 1, 2018
If the rumors are true, this does bode well for the Browns. If Belichick was that interested in Baker, it shows that he might just be a star in the making because Hoody generally never makes a move that big. Only time will tell, but this is a fun rumor nonetheless.