Insider reveals trade package Vikings offered Patriots for No. 3 overall pick

Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, many questioned if the Patriots would stand pat at pick No. 3 or trade down to acquire more draft capital.

New England has since answered that question, selecting UNC quarterback Drake Maye with the third overall pick, but the team had an opportunity to move down if it wanted to do so.

The Vikings, who came away with Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy at pick No. 10, were reportedly in talks with the Patriots and ESPN's Mike Reiss has since revealed what their best offer was.

According to Reiss, Minnesota offered New England the No. 11 and 23 overall picks, plus its 2025 first-rounder in exchange for the No. 3 overall pick and two mid-round selections.

In March, head coach Jerod Mayo was open to the idea of potentially trading down.

"We sit at a very enviable spot at number three where we can take someone or if someone offers a 'bag' as we would say, a lot of first-round picks, we definitely have to talk about those things as we continue to put together this team," Mayo said, via Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston.

However, the Vikings' offer clearly didn't meet the criteria of the "bag" Mayo was talking about, and thus, the Patriots drafted Maye.

The UNC product is a bit raw, with just two years of starting experience, but there's no arguing his talent. Over the past two seasons, Maye has thrown for 7,929 yards, 62 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

Only time will tell if New England made the right decision, but for now, the team seems very optimistic that Maye will finally be the answer to life after Tom Brady.

"The thing that most impressed me about him is that he would get smashed and just get right back up," Mayo told reporters. "I'm not saying he's Tom Brady, but just that mentality. Same thing with Joe Burrow. Those guys just keep getting back up and continuing to play at a high level and that was like the 'aha!' moment for me."