During the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Patriots traded the 14th pick to the Steelers. That allowed Pittsburgh to leapfrog the Jets at pick No. 15 and take Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones.
NFL insider Jason La Canfora was told by an anonymous general manager that Patriots coach Bill Belichick made that trade just to “screw over” the Jets.
“Bill will try to screw them over any chance he gets,” an NFL executive told La Canfora. “He knew exactly what he was doing.”
Speaking to the media Thursday afternoon, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin commented on the draft-day trade with the Patriots.
Let’s just say Tomlin confirmed all the conspiracy theories.
“I’ll put it this way, there wasn’t a lot of hesitation on New England’s end,” Tomlin said.
Mike Tomlin on trying to trade up with Patriots to screw Jets for Broderick Jones: “I’ll put it this way, there wasn’t a lot of hesitation on New England’s end.” 🤣😂 #Steelers #NFL @RichEisenShow
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) May 18, 2023
Clearly, Belichick’s beef with the Jets will never die.
The Jets ultimately settled for Iowa State defensive lineman Will McDonald IV with the 15th overall pick.