6 rings Patspourri: Tom Brady returning? Bill Belichick on the move & Mailbag
“I’m not opposed to it.”
That was Tom Brady’s answer on the DeepCut with VicBlends podcast last week when asked if he’d ever return to playing football.
Oh yeah… he also mentioned the Patriots as a team that could potentially lobby for his quarterbacking services.
So let’s have some fun.
If Tom Brady is actually looking to return to football and if New England, Jerod Mayo, and Robert Kraft are willing to play ball (for lack of a better term), what could the Patriots look like in 2024? And would they be contenders?
Here’s one way to skin the proverbial cat:
First and formost, TRADE TRADE TRADE that No. 3 overall pick. You no longer have an immediate need at franchise quarterback and have the opportunity to receive a king’s ransom from a QB-needy team.
Let’s use the Minnesota Vikings, who acquired a second first-round pick last month, as that team. We’re going to fleece them for pick No. 11, pick No. 23, their 2025 first-round pick, and left tackle Christian Darrisaw.
We’re now filled two of New England’s top needs in QB Tom Brady and LT Christian Darrisaw.
So now what? Let’s do a mini-mock draft:
Pick No. 11: EDGE Dallas Turner, Alabama
A defender?! A defender!
The Patriots now have the luxury of drafting the best defensive player in the draft thanks to a) Tom Brady being their quarterback and b) what we’re about to do with picks 23 and 34.
As for Turner, he’s big, he’s fast, he’s strong, and he put up 22.5 sacks in the SEC over the last two seasons. An immediate impact type of player.
Pick No. 23: WR AD Mitchell, Texas
Now it’s time to bring in some high-upside young talent on offense.
AD Mitchell measured in at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds at the NFL Combine and notching a 4.34 40-yard dash while putting together the No. 1 RAS among his position group with a 9.98/10.
The former Longhorn hauled in 55 catches for 845 yards and a team-high 11 touchdowns in 2023. He’s a top-50 player in the class and like Turner, can make an impact from day one.
Pick No. 34: TRADE to Cincinnati for Tee Higgins
After requesting a trade out of Cincinnati last month, Tee Higgins has since said that he expects to play with the Bengals next season.
However, if you dangle pick No. 34 in front of the Cincy front office in exchange for a player who they seemingly don’t see in their long-term future, then all bets are off.
The 6-foot-4 wide receiver is just 25 years old and put together back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2021-2022 before missing five games this past year with a hamstring injury. He would immediately give the Patriots the trustworthy X wide receiver Brady longed for during his time with the team.
Here’s what the team would look like on both offense and defense:
Offense:
QB: Tom Brady
RB: Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson
WR: Tee Higgins
WR: AD Mitchell
WR: DeMario Douglas
WR: Kendrick Bourne
WR: KJ Osborn
TE: Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper
LT: Christian Darrisaw
LG: Cole Strange
C: David Andrews
RG: Sidy Sow
RT: Mike Onwenu
Defense:
NT: Davon Godchaux
DT: Christian Barmore
DE: Deatrich Wise Jr., Keion White
OLB: Matthew Judon, Josh Uche
MIKE: Ja’Whaun Bentley
WILL: Jahlani Tavai
OLB: Dallas Turner, Anfernee Jennings
CB: Christian Gonzalez
CB: Jonathan Jones
Slot: Marcus Jones
FS: Jabrill Peppers
SS: Kyle Dugger
That's pretty good.
Does this win the AFC East? Make the playoffs? The Super Bowl? Who knows. But it's worth the thought.
Just imagine if 6/12/24 comes, the day Tom Brady is set to be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame, and instead of signing a one-day contract with the team signs a one year deal with the squad that drafted him 20+ years ago.
A guy can dream, right?
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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