Patriots Trade Pitch Nets $230 Million QB To Rebuild Offense

Drake Maye showed flashes of why he was taken with the No. 3 pick during his first career start for the New England Patriots in Week 6.

Maye went 20-of-33 passing for 243 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. The offense was notably better with Maye under center Sunday than in Jacoby Brissett's previous starts, but the unit needed more juice for its rookie quarterback in a 41-21 loss to the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium.

The offensive line and wide receiver corps were a concern for the Patriots before the season. With Maye now the full-time starter, the Patriots could consider being aggressive before the trade deadline to rebuild the offense for the former North Carolina standout.

One out-of-the-box way the Patriots could improve their offense long-term would be to trade for a veteran quarterback. That might sound counterintuitive, but the Cleveland Browns are in a special kind of mess with Deshaun Watson.

Watson signed a five-year deal with $230 million fully guaranteed in the 2022 offseason. Unfortunately for the Browns, their offense is one of the worst in the league with the former Houston Texans' star under center.

Mike Sando of The Athletic talked to an NFL executive about what the Browns could do if they want to part ways with Watson before his contract is up.

The executive suggested the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers should trade for Watson and absorb the $92 million still owed to the 29-year-old quarterback over the next two years in exchange for draft capital.

“The conversation starts with multiple 1’s,” the executive said, per Sando. “Maybe less if Cleveland wants to pay salary.”

Watson wouldn't play for New England, but he could help change the course of the franchise.

The Patriots could use the draft picks to trade for a superstar player or draft offensive linemen and wide receiver(s) for Maye. The obvious downside for the Patriots is that Watson's paycheck will take a good portion of the salary cap away from New England.

Fortunately, in this kind of trade, rookie contracts are cheap, and the Patriots could afford to take on a big contract in exchange for a few talented starters.

Related: Browns Coach Gives One-Word Response to Deshaun Watson Situation After Loss to Eagles