Patriots Host Lamar Jackson On Top 30 Visit
The Patriots quietly hosted Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson on a Top 30 pre-draft visit two weeks ago, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Pats were left “intrigued and impressed” with Jackson, which gives further credence to reports connecting New England to the Heisman Trophy winner. 
The Patriots may or may not be within range to select Jackson at No. 23 overall. The draft’s top four QBs – Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, and Baker Mayfield – are widely projected to come off of the board in the top 10, but the Dolphins (No. 11), Bills (Nos. 12 and 22), Cardinals (No. 15), Ravens (No. 16), and Chargers (No. 17) all have varying degrees of interest in signal callers. If the Patriots are truly sold on Jackson, they may have to move up in the order. In theory, the Pats could package the No. 23 and No. 31 picks to advance in the first round, but that would be a gutsy move to make with more pressing needs to fill elsewhere.
The Patriots have not selected a quarterback in the first round since Drew Bledsoe in 1993, but they need to address the future of the position with Tom Brady‘s 41st birthday coming up in August. The Patriots are either gung-ho about Jackson as his heir or they are actively seeking to give other teams a false impression in advance of the draft.
Could Patriots Seek Depth For Interior OL Through Draft?
Leading off the list are Georgia’s Sony Michel and San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny, who are both projected to go in the second round (per NFL.com). Penny could also help the team in its return game, with the trade of Cordarrelle Patterson to the Patriots.
- ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported in May of last year that the Patriots were looking to provide depth in their interior line in the form of Indiana guard Dan Feeney before he was selected by the Chargers. The Patriots have a solid core in their interior line, with guard Joe Thuney, guard Shaq Mason and center David Andrews, but Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston wonders if they’ll again look for depth on the inside. He points to Iowa’s James Daniels, Georgia’s Isaiah Wynn, Arkansas’ Frank Ragnow and Ohio State’s Billy Price as a few options that could be available if the team elects to go that route.
Patriots Expected To Exercise Fifth-Year Options On Shelton And Brown, Not Dorsett
- The Patriots are in the unique position of having three fifth-year options to either exercise or decline before May 3, and Mike Reiss of ESPN.com says the team will almost certainly exercise those options on defensive tackles Danny Shelton and Malcom Brown (at a little over $7MM apiece). However, the team is unsurprisingly not expected to exercise the $9.387MM option for receiver Phillip Dorsett.
Patriots Could Target Lamar Jackson
- Speaking of Jackson, NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock (article via Edward Lewis of NFL.com) believes the former Heisman Trophy winner will not only be a first-round pick, but that he could go in the top-10 (he also believes a team could trade up into that territory to land him). But if Jackson is not selected in the first 20 picks, Mayock says the Saints and Patriots would be two clubs that could target him, as they have the offensive minds to harness Jackson’s talent.
Latest On Rob Gronkowski
- Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was absent from the team’s optional workouts last week. He said he doesn’t plan to attend next weeks’ voluntary workouts either, explaining his reasoning in one of the odder press conferences you’ll see. “I’ve got dirt-biking skills to work on,” said Gronkowski at a presser prior to the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship at Gillette Stadium, via Phil Perry of NBC Sports Washington. Gronkowski, who’s contemplated retirement this offseason, also gave vague answers on if he’ll be back at all next season.
Doesn't Sound Like Patriots QB Tom Brady Will Retire
- Was Patriots quarterback Tom Brady ever considering retirement? At least two of his teammates aren’t buying it. Two Pats players tell Mike Giardi of NBC Sports Boston (on Twitter) that they’ve spoken to him this offseason, including discussions about the upcoming season, and he’s never indicated he wasn’t playing/retiring. Brady is also continuing his normal workout regimen/diet, even while in Qatar, according to the players. Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com hear that Brady will indeed play in 2018, though he would like a new contract.
- Was Patriots quarterback Tom Brady ever considering retirement? At least two of his teammates aren’t buying it. Two Pats players tell Mike Giardi of NBC Sports Boston (on Twitter) that they’ve spoken to him this offseason, including discussions about the upcoming season, and he’s never indicated he wasn’t playing/retiring. Brady is also continuing his normal workout regimen/diet, even while in Qatar, according to the players. Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com hear that Brady will indeed play in 2018, though he would like a new contract.
- Meanwhile, Brady already has made arrangements to get together with some of his Patriots teammates between the end of the offseason program and the start of training camp, a source with knowledge of the situation tells Mike Florio of PFT.
WR Tyler Gaffney Returns To Baseball
You won’t be seeing Tyler Gaffney on the pages of Pro Football Rumors, but you may find him on MLB Trade Rumors in time. The former Panthers, Patriots, and Jaguars wide receiver is going back to baseball, as MLB.com’s Adam Berry writes. 
“My dream has been the big leagues my whole life,” Gaffney said. “I think I’ve been tasting that every time I was hurt. You have time to think about things like that. So now I’m here, putting in my work. Now I’m here, five years later. I think the last couple years took their toll on my body. The heart wanted it. The body didn’t. I’m finally able to come back to baseball, the sport I love.”
Gaffney was drafted by the Pirates in 2012 and played in their minor league system for a summer before returning to Stanford to play football. He is now returning to the Pirates to pursue his MLB dreams, starting with the Bradenton Pirates of the Florida State League.
Gaffney held promise as a sixth-round pick with the Panthers, but injuries prevented him from doing much on the field. Although he never recorded an official statistic, he does own two Super Bowl rings thanks to his time with the Pats.
La Canfora On Draft, Raiders, Miller, Patriots
UCLA tackle Kolton Miller could be a target for the Raiders if they trade down from the No. 10 overall pick, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com hears. However, they probably can’t move back all that far if they hope to land him. Evaluators and offensive line coaches that have spoken with JLC believe that Miller – and not Notre Dame’s Mike McGlinchey – is the best tackle in this year’s class. Plenty of teams in the teens are eyeing the 6’9″ prospect and McGlinchey is more likely to go in the late teens or early 20s, La Canfora hears. The Lions at No. 20 could be Miller’s floor as they would plug him in on the right side.
Here’s more draft buzz from JLC:
- The Patriots are entertaining the possibility of moving up in the teens if the right quarterback falls, La Canfora writes. The Dolphins and Bills are exploring QBs at Nos. 11 and 12, so the Raiders could potentially find value by trading down from No. 10. Josh Rosen, in JLC’s estimation, appears to be the most likely of the big four QBs to slide. I’d agree with that assessment as the Browns, Giants, and Jets are reportedly not high on the UCLA product.
- The Broncos say they are open to moving down from No. 5 and JLC believes that linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is very much on their radar. The likely trade scenario, he believes, would see the Bills moving up to get Josh Rosen if Josh Allen, Sam Darnold, and Baker Mayfield come off of the board in the top four. The Bills own the Nos. 12 and 22 picks in the draft.
- The Bengals at No. 21 could be the floor for Arkansas center Frank Ragnow. Ragnow is climbing up boards around the league and has a good chance of going in the first round.
- The Ravens are looking for a tight end, but they would rather not select one at No. 16. La Canfora hears that the Ravens, ideally, would like to move down 5-7 spots to get South Carolina tight end Hayden Hurst. The Ravens can’t go too far, however, with the Saints sitting at No. 27.
- Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who won’t turn 20 until after the draft, is a lock to go in the top 10, JLC hears. He also wouldn’t be shocked to see him go as high as No. 6 overall, depending on how the first five picks shake out.
- Florida defensive tackle Taven Bryan could go just outside the top 10 and JLC believes his worst case scenario is No. 26.
- Florida state defensive lineman Josh Sweat could sneak into the late first round and seems very possible for the second round.
Patriots Host D.J. Moore
- The Bills are hosting Boston College edge rusher Harold Landry, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Almost assuredly a first-round pick, Landry is viewed a notch below the draft’s consensus best defensive end, North Carolina State’s Bradley Chubb. Landry, who notched 48 sacks during his collegiate career, isn’t expected to last until pick No. 23 (Patriots), per Rapoport. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, as he’s drawn plenty of interest during the pre-draft process. Landry has also recently met with the 49ers and Falcons, report Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). In a draft that lacks depth at the pass rusher position, Landry should be highly coveted on Day 1.
- The Patriots met with Maryland wideout D.J. Moore this week, reports Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.net (Twitter link). Rapoport indicated earlier today that Moore is likely to become a first-round pick, and that’s entirely possible given that a clear No. 1 wide receiver prospect hasn’t really emerged. Alabama’s Calvin Ridley, who has also visited New England, had been viewed as the top pass-catcher early in the draft process, but he’s not a lock to be the first receiver off the board. The Patriots are on the hunt for another offensive weapon after trading Brandin Cooks to the Rams, and Moore — who posted 80 catches and 1,033 yards in 2017 — could fit that bill.
Tom Brady Will Play In 2018, Wants New Contract
Tom Brady will indeed suit up for the 2018 campaign, but he’d like a new contract from the Patriots prior to the season getting underway, according to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com.
Earlier today, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported that while most close to Brady expected he would return for New England for another year, the future Hall of Famer hadn’t officially committed to continuing his career. Per the NFL.com scribes, Brady is not giving any thought to an immediate retirement, and the Patriots are planning as if he will be their starting quarterback.
While Brady is hoping to work out a fresh deal before the season begins, his contractual status is “not driving” his absence from voluntary workouts, tweets Garafolo. In fact, it doesn’t seem as though a new pact is a pressing issue, as Garafolo notes the most important matter on the table is determining Brady’s “short- and long-term future.”
Brady, who has long been a bargain by quarterback contract standards, is currently signed through the 2019 campaign. In each of the next two years, he’s scheduled to earn a base salary of $15MM, while $7MM of annually prorated signing bonus money will bring the 40-year-old’s cap charges to $22MM in each season.
New England, of course, dealt Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers at the 2017 trade deadline, so the club doesnt’t currently have a youthful quarterback on its roster. Veteran Brian Hoyer is the only signal-caller aside from Brady on the Patriots’ depth chart, but the team has been linked to a number of quarterback prospects leading up to the 2018 draft.