2020 NFL Draft: 5 Teams that should trade up for Tua Tagovailoa
5. New England Patriots
Speculation about whether or not Tom Brady would actually leave the New England Patriots has been running rampant for some time now already. His contract is up with the team he’s played with since being drafted in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft and there seems to be real smoke about him exploring the possibility of leaving in free agency.
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While that’s certainly a wait-and-see instance for me — Brady in anything but a Patriots uniform is hard to wrap your head around after two decades — let’s not blatantly ignore that it’s a possibility. And if he leaves, New England would be left looking for an answer at quarterback as you’d assume or have to believe second-year signal-caller Jarrett Stidham is not ready to take over.
Even if Brady were to stay with the Pats though, that doesn’t preclude them from being aggressive at quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft. Brady will still be 43 years old when the 2020 regular season kicks off and, as guys like Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett have gone, there is no set-in-stone contingency plan for Brady’s eventual departure, be it via retirement or free agency.
Putting Tua Tagovailoa in New England would be a beautiful thing to watch. His leadership and personality that was cultivated under Nick Saban would likely fit beautifully under the watch fo Bill Belichick. Furthermore, his accuracy and ability to push the ball downfield would open up the Patriots offense in ways that would surely excite offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
The only drawback to New England trading up to possibly the No. 3 pick would be the cost — but it’d be a major one. Moving up 20 picks from No. 23 is going to bring a hefty price tag and the Patriots have other needs to fill. They would have to be ultra-aggressive to make the move but, if they deem Tua worthy of being Brady’s successor, it may also be worth it.