Phil Perry’s latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft has the Patriots trading down to add a 2nd round pick, and add three players that will help on both sides of the line
The New England Patriots may not be the most attractive landing spot for free agents, but they've become a more enticing destination with the emergence of promising young quarterback Drake Maye.
Maye and new head coach Mike Vrabel represent a new era in Foxboro. While it could take another year or two for the Patriots to return to form as a contender, the front office finally has a solid sales pitch for free agents in the post-Brady/Belichick era.
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On a new episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast, Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry put themselves in the shoes of a free-agent wide receiver. They ranked the potential landing spots in the AFC with money as no object. Location, quarterback, and team situation were the main factors considered.
The Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals were the first five teams selected. So, which team is the next-best option? Here's what Curran and Perry had to say.
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🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: Ranking the Patriots as a free agent landing spot | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"I could go and play with Tua (Tagovailoa), be in a situation with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. I could think about Trevor Lawrence, great player. I can think about C.J. Stroud, but then I'm dealing with Nico Collins and Tank Dell and there's all these other guys who need the football down there. I'm gonna go to New England," Curran said.
"I'm going to go play with (Josh) McDaniels and Drake Maye. I'm going to understand that I am their No. 1. I'm not psyched about the finances because they are going to chew up a bit of my paycheck with the taxes, but I'm going to go play with Drake Maye and the New England Patriots situation ahead of Trevor Lawrence, ahead of Anthony Richardson, ahead of Tua, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson. That's where I get to Drake Maye and the Patriots situation."
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Perry agreed with Curran, giving the Patriots a slight edge over the Houston Texans as the most appealing destination for a free-agent wideout.
"I don't hate your thought process and I think I would make that same choice," Perry told Curran. "Now, I am maybe biased going into this because I'm sitting here as a free-agent receiver. I'm envisioning myself as Tee Higgins. But the podcaster, Phil Perry, has a very strong desire to see what Drake Maye looks like in three years, where I think he could be one of the five best quarterbacks in football. I think he has that kind of upside. And so, maybe I'm biased coming into this conversation where somebody who didn't watch as much Drake Maye as I did when we were going through all our draft stuff last year would feel a little bit differently.
"You brought up one name that I think is in the conversation here, which is C.J. Stroud. He as a rookie looked really impressive. Last year, not so much. But they have a new offensive coordinator there in Nick Caley, who's coming from a couple of different impressive offensive systems over the course of his career. So if he can meld those things together and make that work in Houston, that could be appealing to me. Though you said it, targets are already being eaten up by a couple of guys that exist down there in Houston."
Also in the episode:
- How do free agents feel about Mike Vrabel?
- How do you convince players to come here?
- Tom vs. Phil Super Bowl radio row athletic challenge.
