Even with Patriots trading Mac Jones, Cardinals are not a lock to acquire Marvin Harrison Jr.
By Brandon Ray
The NFL legal tampering period starts tomorrow, March 11th at 12PM EST and we have some breaking news that could very well affect the Arizona Cardinals on the first night of the NFL draft. Per Adam Schefter, the New England Patriots are trading away quarterback Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars. It looks like the Patriots will receive a sixth-round pick and will be looking for a new quarterback for 2024 and beyond.
With having the third overall pick, it would make the most sense for the Patriots to select a quarterback like Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels and start the clock back over on a rookie quarterback deal. However, with new head coach Jerod Mayo, we don't know what the plan will be throughout free agency.
According to overthecap.com, the Patriots have over $85 million in cap space and could easily sign a veteran quarterback in free agency and then potentially take wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. in front of the Cardinals. Then to throw a twist into this scenario, the Patriots could easily trade back into the first round if a quarterback like Bo Nix or J.J. McCarthy is falling down the board.
The two only notable pending free agent quarterbacks that could create this scenario is Baker Mayfield and Kirk Cousins. With Mayfield more than likely heading back to Tampa Bay after a rebounding career year with the Buccaneers, Cousins would be the one option for the Patriots that would put the Cardinals in a tough spot.
With free agency taking place this week, the Cardinals will need to keep an eye on what the Patriots do and since they have a lot of cap space, anything is possible in New England. If the Patriots sign a quarterback that is not Mayfield or Cousins, then the Cardinals are going to head into the first night of the draft with a great expectation that Harrison will be available at their pick.