The latest edition of our Patriots mailbag answers questions about trade rumors, the draft, and more.
The 2025 coaching staff has been finalized for the New England Patriots and now the real fun begins: player acquisition. With the NFL Combine later this month and free agency shortly after, trade rumors and draft speculation are heating up.
So let’s talk about it all and get right into this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag.
What should be our best offer for Myles Garrett? – Matt1102
The star Cleveland pass rusher officially requested a trade this week — one that the Browns have publicly said they have zero interest in corresponding with.
From a Patriots perspective, pass rusher is obviously a big need this offseason and their might not be a better one in the league than Garrett, a four-time first-team All-Pro with 102.5 sacks to his name. After spending a year in Cleveland, Mike Vrabel is familiar with the player while Eliot Wolf also spent two years in the Browns front office early in Garrett’s career.
The connection makes sense but the price is tough to get behind for New England. Looking back at the Khalil Mack trade, the Bears gave up two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and a sixth-round pick for the then 27-year-old pass rusher in addition to a second-round pick and a conditional fifth-round pick.
Any deal for the 29-year-old Garrett, who has been more productive than Mack throughout their respective careers, likely starts with two first-round picks.
For a Patriots team with holes all over the roster in the middle of a rebuild, surrounding significant draft capital for a 29-year is a tough sell even for a player as dominant as Garrett. I’ll take my chances on 21-year Abdul Carter at the top of the draft in hopes that he becomes a key piece on my next contending team.
If we did have to put together some sort of package, it’d be built around No. 38, Joe Milton, and some other Day 2 picks or pick swaps. That wouldn’t come close to getting it done anyway.
What are your thoughts on a possible Milton trade with the Giants? – Sportzballer
Speaking of Joe Milton, I would not be rushing him out the door. There’s too much value with his upside on a rookie contract as the backup to Drake Maye next season. If someone wants to blow the team away and offer an early Day 2 pick, however, I would reconsider.
Thanks for helping fill the “what-if” portion of offseason. It seems clear that under Williams the defensive line philosophy will be changing from 2 gap read/react to 1 gap/penetrating type. There are also different responsibilities for the LB in this system as well. Two part question if allowed. 1) Which members of projected front 7 are not great fits for the new system? and 2) Does Mason Graham duplicate what we already have in Barmore (if healthy) and Keion (who doesn’t want to play edge)? – Spyponder90
Assuming Vrabel and Williams continue to run their style of defense from Tennessee that you described, Davon Godchaux and Jahlani Tavai are two players whose fit is immediately put into question. Godchaux is a two-gapping defensive tackle while second-level linebackers need to be more comfortable playing in space. That is not Tavai’s game.
As for Mason Graham, he could fit alongside Christian Barmore mainly as opposite three-techs in four-down fronts. Keion White would then be one of your defensive ends opposite Anfernee Jennings and/or a new pass rush addition. It would be a strong pairing along the interior, but in a deep defensive line class perhaps New England finds value in later rounds.
Who will the Patriots’ defensive play caller be…Terrell Williams or Vrabel? Combination of the two? – PatsHowYouDoIt
TBD on that one. My guess would be Williams at this moment but would not rule out Vrabel having some sort of role as Williams gets his feet wet calling plays for the first time in his coaching career.
Is there a concern that the Patriots might be in a bit of a bad pattern with their WR coaches? – Sportzballer
Another year, another first-time wide receivers coach for the Patriots. Based off the failures to develop the position in recent years, continuing that trend is absolutely a concern here.
Now, Todd Downing does come to New England with plenty of coaching experience as a play caller and quarterbacks coach — something you couldn’t say about some of the team’s recent hires at the position. Downing should certainly be able to teach the details of McDaniels’ offense to the room (which in the past has been tough mentally on receivers), but the preference would have been to add an assistant with a wide receiver background to help teach the technique side of things on the field.
Listening to Brian and Alex on the Patriots Beat podcast, with the Gio Ricci futures contract, can we at least get a FB battle in camp? That would be fun. Revisit Jaheim Bell a little? McDaniels was good getting creative with the James Develin types. Ricci and Bell are much smaller than that but more athletic. Could be fun if they utilize Maye more in the running game or maybe some Kyle Jusczyk type role? – ParaMeds
First of all, thanks for listening. But a fullback battle would absolutely be fun. It will be interesting to see if the Ricci signing hints at the body type they are looking for at the hybrid fullback role.
The tight end/fullback versatile Ricci (6-3, 245) is about 10 pounds lighter then bruisers James Develin and Jakob Johnson, while 10 pounds lighter than Kyle Juszczyk out in San Francisco. Ricci is in a similar mold to the 6-foot-2, 241 pound Jaheim Bell, however.
I hear a lot about Campbell and Banks in the first, and maybe Connolly and Ersery in the 2nd, but what is up with Josh Simmons? From a length/athletic standpoint, he seems to be more of a sure thing than Campbell and Banks (who some keep saying are better suited at guard), and better than Connolly and Ersery. Yeah, the injury is a negative, but is there any word on when he might be ready to play again? Training camp? Later? Or is that going to be a big Combine question on his medicals? I don’t want to trade back and bank on him, but if we take Carter at 4, and Simmons is on the board at 25 or so, could we use our spare 3rd to go get him? Or is it better to wait at 38 for one of the second tier? I just remember waiting on OTs last year and missing out on almost all of the ones that had played LT before. – Loiosh
Depending on how Will Campbell measures in at the Combine there is a case to be made that Simmons is the top tackle in this year’s class. He’s got ideal size and length at the position with good athleticism and play strength. But, its also fair to point out his strong play this season came against weaker early-season competition.
As for Simmons’ injury, the Combine could provide an update on his status as team’s certainly will check his medicals. He suffered a torn patellar tendon injury in October which just took Cole Strange nearly a full calendar year to come back from. With that being said, the Patriots would need to feel comfortable at the tackle position starting the season without Simmons — likely by adding a pair of veteran starters in free agency.
Are there any viable teams to trade down from #4 with? Doesn’t seem like a good qb draft year. If the top two guys go to the Giants and Tenn which remaining qb’s are worth moving up for, if any? – PatsHowYouDoIt
If the top two QBs (Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward) are off the board by New England’s selection I would currently stick and pick between Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter even if teams are calling. The most logical trade down option would likely be the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6 or New Orleans Saints at No. 9 if one of the QBs slides to the Patriots pick.
What kind of scenario would need to unfold for the Pats to trade back up into the first round? What players do you feel would be worthy of trading back into the first round for? And what would that cost? – SoDak605PatsFan
With an extra third-round pick already in the bag they absolutely have the capability to do it. As things currently stand, New England’s second-round selection (No. 38) and first third-round selection (No. 69) could move them up to pick No. 26 based on trade value charts.
Based off where they go with their first round selection, targets could include wide receivers Emeka Egbuka, Luther Burden and Matthew Golden, tackles Josh Simmons and Josh Conerly, or a defensive player such as Walter Nolen or Jihaad Campbell. For New England’s front office it should be the best player on their board.
That’s all for this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag. If you have questions you’d liked to be answered next week, submit them online in our weekly submission post or on Twitter using #PostPulpit. Make sure to be following @iambrianhines and @PatsPulpit as well.