WR K.J. Osborn addresses Patriots' QB plan, rebuild

K.J. Osborn revealed on Wednesday that he discussed the Patriots quarterback plans with head coach Jerod Mayo and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt before agreeing to a one-year, $4M deal with New England. 

"[The quarterback situation] definitely went into the decision," Osborn acknowledged, according to Chris Mason of MassLive. "I spoke to coach Mayo, AVP and [others] like that for the plan going forward. I trust them that everything will take care of itself." 

The Patriots moved on from QB Mac Jones and signed veteran Jacoby Brissett to start over a rookie quarterback later this year presumably. When New England will grab that first-year signal-caller in the upcoming NFL Draft has become quite a hot topic among writers and reporters. 

Mason and Mark Daniels of MassLive indicated as recently as last week that the Patriots "are set" on selecting a quarterback with the third overall pick of this year's draft. However, other whispers suggest that New England's de facto general manager, Eliot Wolf, could look to accumulate assets by trading out of the third pick. In such a scenario, the Patriots could take a quarterback later in the draft's first round. 

"It doesn’t happen overnight," Osborn added. "I know what I signed up for. It’s going to be a grind, man. I want to be a person that helps this organization get back to where it needs to be." 

Interestingly, Osborn compared Mayo to Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell. Both Mayo and O’Connell played at the highest level, and Mayo earned a Super Bowl ring while featuring for the Patriots from 2008 through the 2015 season.

Mayo joined Belichick's staff as inside linebackers coach in 2019 and became New England's head coach in January. Meanwhile, Osborn played under O’Connell over the previous two seasons. 

"[Mayo] is a players’ coach and I love that," Osborn remarked. "...He’s been in our shoes. He’s got a Super Bowl. He’s been in the league. So he knows what it’s like from our side and stepping over to the coaches' side. I feel like that plays a big factor."