Insider Reveals Vikings' Draft Night Trade Offer to Patriots for No. 3

The New England Patriots could've had a deal on the table for the taking.

Apr 25, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye poses with NFL / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

After weeks of discussion revolving around the New England Patriots' potential plan to trade down from the third-overall selection during the 2024 NFL Draft, the team decided its best course of action would be to stick and pick their quarterback of the future, Drake Maye.

However, it wasn't without some outside interest from around the league ramping up when the Patriots were inevitably on the clock Thursday night.

Whispers around the league seemed to think the Minnesota Vikings would be up to moving "heaven and earth" to get a chance to land the top three and select Maye. But, we weren't quite sure what that potential blockbuster trade package would look like, and questioned if it would even be close to enticing the Patriots enough to move out.

Now, new reports are surfacing of what that package may have looked like from the Vikings in an attempt to move up. According to Mike Reiss of ESPN, both the Vikings and the New York Giants had dished trade offers ahead of New England's selection but were ultimately shot down.

"A source said the New York Giants had offered the No. 6 overall pick and their 2025 first-round pick, while the Vikings were ultimately willing to part with No. 11 and No. 23, along with a 2025 first-rounder, in exchange for the third pick and two mid-round selections from New England. But clearly neither of those proposals met the criteria for the "bag" that Mayo said the Patriots would have needed to be OK with trading the pick, and explains why the Patriots called Maye immediately when they were on the clock at No. 3."

Without much on the table to move the needle for the Patriots, it was hard to expect this front office to move down from such a coveted spot in the draft. Especially with their outlying need at the quarterback position, it's the sensible choice to land on.

Just last draft cycle, the Chicago Bears collected two top-ten firsts, two seconds, and an elite weapon in D.J. Moore from the Carolina Panthers for the rights to select Bryce Young. The Patriots didn't have the luxury of picking number one overall this year, but considering the Giants and Vikings packages failed to come close to the likes of that deal with a top-rated QB on the board, HC Jerod Mayo's aspired return of a "bag" wasn't acquired, and Maye was the answer.

In the end, New England got their guy, Minnesota got their guy in J.J. McCarthy, and while New York didn't add a new signal caller into the mix, they added a top weapon with Malik Nabers in hopes of helping kickstart their lacking offensive unit.

Time will tell if the Patriots made the right decision on draft night, but as long as Maye can soon touch the ceiling he's projected to have, this looks like a home run selection.