Bold Prediction: Patriots Sign Baker Mayfield?!

The New England Patriots have several previous working connections to upcoming free-agent quarterback Baker Mayfield.

The New England Patriots will have a new quarterback on their roster when they take the field next season; that part seems certain. However, whether that new addition comes via the NFL Draft or free agency is not. 

Yet, the latest prediction from ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler has the Patriots making the potentially surprise signing of current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield. 

"The Patriots submarine the Buccaneers by signing QB Baker Mayfield, ..." Fowler writes. "And the Patriots' new brain trust -- including lead personnel man Eliot Wolf and personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith -- were part of the Cleveland regime that took Mayfield No. 1 in the 2018 draft." 

Current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (left) and New England Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf (right) / USA Today Network

Wolf and Highsmith spent two seasons in Cleveland together (2018-19), where the former served as the assistant general manager and the latter as the vice president of player personnel. Now, both will play prominent roles in the Patriots front office. 

After joining the Patriots' front office in 2022 as the director of scouting, Wolf has ascended the ranks to being the de facto general manager in New England following Bill Belichick's departure. Meanwhile, Highsmith just joined Wolf in Foxboro this offseason as a personnel executive. 

But they aren't the only ones who have direct ties to Mayfield in New England, as even current Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt also spent time in Cleveland with the now Buccaneers signal-caller.   

While previous connections between staffers and players don't always equate to having an interest in the said player, it does, at the very least, make the door seem open for Mayfield to leave Tampa for Foxboro. 

The former No. 1 overall pick is coming off the best year of his career with the Buccaneers. The 28-year-old threw for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 17 games as he led the Buccaneers to a 9-8 season.

Mayfield even helped the Buccaneers win a playoff game, beating the Philadelphia Eagles 32-9 in the Wild Card before they fell to the Detroit Lions in the next round.

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His resurgence in Tampa now has him set to become one of the top quarterbacks available in free agency this offseason. This is quite the turnaround, as just a year earlier, the Carolina Panthers cut Mayfield after they started the season 1-5, where he would then join the Los Angeles Rams to serve as their starting quarterback in the absence of the then-injured Matthew Stafford.

While the Patriots have the No. 3 pick in their back pocket this offseason, where they could more than certainly find their next franchise quarterback, signing Mayfield would allow them to use that selection on another position of need, like a receiver or offensive tackle.

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