On the surface, the New England Patriots trading back from No. 14 to 17 overall with the Pittsburgh Steelers appeared to be about nothing more than acquiring more draft capital.
But according to the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s motivation for swapping picks and only getting back an additional fourth-rounder was much more vindictive than what meets the eye.
“They should have had to give up a [third-rounder] and not a four to move up there,” an anonymous NFL general manager told La Canfora. “Belichick did it just to f— the Jets. He sold low because he knew the Steelers were going to take the kid the Jets wanted to take. … I think the trade totally blindsided them. They were scrambling.”
Another anonymous executive told La Canfora Belichick knew exactly what he was doing, stating, “Bill will try to screw them over any chance he gets.”
The Steelers jumped the Jets, who had pick No. 15 after swapping the No. 13 overall pick with the Green Bay Packers in the Aaron Rodgers trade, for Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones — the player New York was reportedly targeting.
With all four of the top offensive tackles off the board — Jones, Paris Johnson Jr., Peter Skoronski and Darnell Wright — the Jets settled for Iowa State defensive end Will McDonald.
Offensive line was a priority for New York after acquiring Rodgers. Duane Brown and George Fant (who’s no longer with the team) split time at left tackle last season, and right tackle Mekhi Becton, the team’s first-round pick in 2020, has missed all but one game over the last two seasons.
The Jets did go offensive line with their next two picks, however, grabbing Wisconsin center Joe Tippmann in Round 2 and Pittsburgh tackle Carter Warren in Round 4.
