Patriots

‘Hard Knocks’ episode showed clip of Giants GM calling Patriots about last-minute draft trade inquiry

New England ultimately decided to keep its pick and select quarterback Drake Maye.

By Hayden Bird

July 24, 2024

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Though there was some speculation about the Patriots potentially trading the team’s 2024 first-round pick prior to the draft, New England ultimately decided to hold at third overall and select quarterback Drake Maye.

While that logical conclusion feels inevitable in retrospect — new Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo and team executive Eliot Wolf clearly emphasized building around a rookie quarterback — it wasn’t a complete foregone conclusion.

In fact, according to a clip from a recent episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” program, which has been following the Giants’ offseason, New England at least discussed the possibility of dealing the team’s top pick.

The “Hard Knocks” clip shows Giants general manager Joe Schoen calling Wolf to inquire about New England’s plans.

“What’s going on?” Schoen began. “You guys still still listening, or you guys make a decision?”

Wolf explained that the Patriots were “pretty happy” to hold the team’s pick and select a quarterback.

“But again, if you offer us like [picks] 1, 2, 3 this year, 1, 2 next [year]. I mean, I’m exaggerating,” Wolf noted.

“It’s got to be something crazy?” Schoen interpreted, sensing that the Patriots wouldn’t move the pick without a substantial offer.

Eventually, Schoen worked out that Wolf and New England wouldn’t part with the pick without “multiple” picks in both 2024 and 2025.

Wolf never definitively agreed to parameters, explaining that the team was “in this situation where we just [will] probably sit and pick a quarterback, you know?”

While the behind-the-scenes clip offered an interesting hypothetical to consider, the draft night proceeded without any high-profile trades from either the Patriots or Giants. New York elected to stay at the sixth overall pick, from which Schoen took wide receiver Malik Nabers from LSU.