Patriots rumors: Trade into top 10 for Justin Fields totally in play

If the New England Patriots are going to continue their bold offseason into the 2021 NFL Draft, Justin Fields could be very much involved in their plans. 

By the standards set by Tom Brady and Bill Belichick over the previous two decades, last year was a dismal showing for the New England Patriots. In the first season basically of this century without Brady as he was leading Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl, New England missed out on the playoffs. And lo and behold, the void at quarterback was never more obvious.

While Cam Newton conjured early excitement from the fanbase, he faltered greatly as the year went on. Yet, the Patriots elected to bring him back for the 2021 season on another modest contract. But that move in relation to an extremely aggressive free agency period made you wonder if another big splash at quarterback was coming, perhaps in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Now it seems that it might be with Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields at the center of it.

On Monday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that the Patriots are among multiple teams who have called around and expressed interest in trading into the top 10 of the 2021 NFL Draft. If that happens, Pelissero also reported that New England has their eyes on Justin Fields as he’s apparently in line to possibly fall down the board a bit.

Trading up for Justin Fields would be outside the Patriots norm but that might be what the franchise needs.

Considering that Bill Belichick and the Pats are (in)famous for trading out of the first round, dealing their way into the top 10 from the No. 15 pick might seem out of character for the franchise. Then again, these are unprecedented times in New England.

When we’ve seen Belichick operate traditionally, he’s had the crutch of Brady to help him up. But without that help aiding him, we saw how things tumbled in Foxborough. Moreover, this free agency period was unlike anything we’ve ever truly seen from this regime either.

New England was the biggest spender in the offseason, handing out monster contracts to the likes of Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith and Matthew Judon, among many others. They are aggressively trying to pursue a quick fix to get back to relevance in an increasingly competitive AFC East. They, however, need a long-term quarterback solution to fully do that.

Though Fields has been falling down the draft board, his talent and upside are undeniable. Moreover, with Newton back in the fold, the Patriots could bring along their rookie as slowly as necessary to make sure he’s ready. It would be out of character for New England but, at the end of the day, it might also be the best move for the franchise.