CONFIRMED DEAL: The New England Patriots have formally announced that their star tight end (TE) is leaving for the Alabama Crimson Tide on a four-year, $157 million contract. However, patriots  supporters felt deceived after.

Daily news and links for Friday.

• Patriots Catch-22: Best fits on offense, receiver tiers, Pro Day thoughts and top 30 visits. (2 hours)
• Patriots Unfiltered: AFC East offseason updates, NFL Draft best fits on offense; More. (2 hours)

LOCAL LINKS

• Doug Kyed passes along the reports that the Patriots will host UNC QB Drake Maye on a visit on Friday and LSU’s Jayden Daniels on Monday.
• Bernd Buchmasser mentions the Patriots continue to show interest in Georgia State OT Travis Glover, and is hosting him on a top-30 visit today.
• Alex Barth notes the Patriots held their local pro day on Thursday, with wide receiver and safety highlighting the list of prospects.
• Mark Daniels notes Adam Schefter hints that the writing is already on the wall: The Commanders will draft LSU QB Jayden Daniels at No. 2.
• Mark Daniels considers whether the Patriots should draft two quarterbacks.
• Keagan Stiefel also considers if the Pats could or should take two QBs in this year’s draft.
• Keagan Stiefel put together a spreadsheet of Patriots draft prospects by position with comments. /Interesting.
• Alex Barth’s Patriots draft preview: Defensive linemen & edge rushers.
• Mark Daniels reveals his latest Patriots mock draft: How to fill the team’s biggest needs and stock their depth chart. Pats pick LSU QB Jayden Daniels at No. 3.

• Ian Logue’s Friday Patriots Notebook: Patriots have ‘full consensus’ on #3 pick; More.
• Chris Mason’s Patriots Mailbag: What key Patriots player will get an extension first?
• Michael Hurley spotlights The Athletic’s latest rankings of every position on all four rosters in the AFC East, where the Patriots ranked dead last. By a mile.
• Joe Alfano talks about Marcus Jones making his Pro Golf debut.
• Behind the Mike podcast: Mike Kadlick is joined by Mike Reiss to discuss his journey to the top of ESPN’s Patriots coverage. (38 min. video)

NATIONAL NEWS

• Jeff Howe takes a look at how NFL coaches and execs are split on which QBs the Commanders and Patriots should take at Nos. 2 and 3. “The Patriots have played it perfectly to this point, heavily scouting the top quarterbacks while keeping the league on notice the third pick could be available at the right price.”
• John Keim (ESPN) What Commanders coach Dan Quinn wants in a quarterback.
• Matt Verderame (SI) Ranking the NFL’s best teams at every position group after free agency.
• Maurice Jones-Drew (NFL.com) 2024 NFL mock draft 1.0. Pats pick Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy at No. 3. “The Patriots’ reported interest in the former Wolverine might just be smoke and mirrors, but I’m buying it. McCarthy knows how to win, and that’s what this franchise needs under center to help build a Patriot Way 2.0.”

• Charles McDonald and Nate Tice (Yahoo! Sports) NFL mock draft: Patriots trade out of No. 3 but still get their QB. Pats pick Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy at No. 6.
• Tom Fornelli (CBS Sports) 2024 NFL Mock Draft: QB class overhyped? How top of Round 1 could unfold if teams prioritize other positions. Pats pick Notre Dame OT Joe Alt at No. 3.
• Charles Robinson (Yahoo! Sports) 11 Favorite draft prospects, from no-doubt No. 1 pick to some old-school RBs.
• Tyler Sullivan (CBS Sports) Ranking the AFC teams that pose the biggest threat to the Chiefs.
• Kevin Patra (NFL.com) Projecting 2024 performances of quarterbacks who changed teams. Jacoby Brissett: BETTER. Mac Jones: WORSE.
• Cody Benjamin (CBS Sports) Projecting six NFL playoff teams primed to miss cut in 2024.
• Charean Williams (ProFootballTalk) Report: Texans wiped out final three years of Stefon Diggs’ contract.
• Nate Davis (USA Today) Power rankings: Bills, Cowboys among teams taking big hits this offseason. Patriots: 30th.
• Jay Busbee (Yahoo! Sports) Global domination: How the NFL is seeking its next stars beyond U.S. borders.

• Brendan Walker (NFL.com) Which NFL divisions would be most entertaining on ‘Hard Knocks: In Season’ in 2024? No AFC East, lol.
• Jimmy Traina (SI) The long, strange ‘farewell’ to ‘Good Morning Football’.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) A college “Super League” could bring NFL-style features (salary cap, draft, trades) to college football. /Trades?
• Ben Axelrod (Awful Announcing) Ernie Adams reveals he helped make ‘Friday Night Lights’ possible. “Buzzy, if you want to do this, get your a** out to West Texas where they take their football seriously.”