They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
But, could two teams’ trash be tantalizing NFL offseason trade fodder?
With unsurprising recent word that the Patriots are likely looking to move on from former 2021 first-round pick Mac Jones this offseason and the more-than-uncertain future of fellow fourth-year perceived bust Zach Wilson in New York a pretty simple discussion evolved on the most recent edition of the “6 Rings” podcast: Would you be willing to deal Jones for Wilson?
The upside for the two teams is obvious. While neither New England nor New York would or should be expecting much from its trade addition, both Jones and Wilson are only three years removed from scouting reports that landed them as consensus first-round picks at the most important position in all of sports.
Heck, Jones is only a couple years removed from that laudable rookie season in which he led the Patriots to the playoffs and earned a spot in the Pro Bowl.
Sure, both guys have bottomed out in their first NFL homes, seen as broken-beyond-repair competitors. But underneath all that misery and at times truly miserable play is the talent that originally piqued pro personnel evaluator’s interest. And let’s not forget they’re both on relatively inexpensive contracts for now.
In New York Jones could sit behind Aaron Rodgers for a couple years and rebuild his confidence. There may be no better mentor than Rodgers to help Jones R-E-L-A-X and get back to his confident mental approach to the game, even if the two have very different physical playing styles.
And from a Patriots perspective, Wilson represents a modern NFL passer that so many in New England have coveted. A guy that can extend plays and throw off platform, the arm talent and potential to inject life into an offense on any given play even if he seemed to lose that exciting ability in the Big Apple.
No one is saying Wilson could or even should compete for the wide-open starting job at his point in New England. But putting together a QB depth chart with the No. 3 overall pick, a veteran free agent and Wilson would be an intriguing competition to play out this summer at Gillette Stadium. Bailey Zappe could even be kept around to fill out the Foxborough foursome.
Maybe Wilson is NFL toast at this point. Maybe he was simply way more bust than boom as the No. 2 overall pick. Maybe he’d be cut at the end of training camp in New England if this hypothetical trade ever came to unlikely fruition between the longtime AFC East rivals.
Or, maybe Alex Van Pelt could work some magic to polish up Wilson and get the most out of him. Maybe a new beginning in New England would be the beginning of a new career.
The harsh reality is that neither Jones nor Wilson would seem to have much trade value at this point. What’s more enticing, a late-round pick at best or swapping one former depreciated first-round talent for another and swinging for the change-of-scenery fences?
A swift social media sampling of Patriots fans seems to indicate that there is little interest in bringing Wilson to New England. Approximately three-quarters of respondents said they would not make the Jones-for-Wilson swap.
But what say you?