How many first-round picks would Drake Maye be worth?

Trading a quarterback as young and accomplished as Drake Maye is practically unheard of.

At age 23, he has been to a Super Bowl, finished as runner-up for MVP, and earned a pair of Pro Bowl nods.

The NFL has seen its share of big trades involving quarterbacks. MVPs and Super Bowl champions have been traded. So have young players who eventually developed into Hall-of-Famers.

Maye still has plenty to prove, but his combination of youth, potential, and achievements are rare.

While there are no indications that the Patriots would even think about moving him, ESPN published a piece ranking the most valuable players on each team into tiers.

Maye, Josh Allen, and Patrick Mahomes were in the top tier. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote that Maye would be worth six first-round picks. Allen and Mahomes, both former MVPs, were worth seven, he said.

“We could make a case that Maye is more valuable than Allen and should command more first-rounders given his age,” Barnwell wrote. “But I do think there might be some hesitation about what Maye did in the postseason, when he wasn’t the same caliber of quarterback against much stiffer competition.

“Even with that in mind, we’re still talking about one of the most valuable players in all of football.”

As the Jaylen Brown trade showed in the NBA, sometimes there is a gap between a player’s perceived trade value and actual trade value. It’s tough to predict what a team might give up or accept unless you are directly involved in those conversations.

But there is a long history of NFL quarterbacks being traded. Here’s a look at eight notable quarterback trades, and what they netted in return.

Deshaun Watson

Age at time of trade: 26

Accomplishments at time of trade: Watson was a three-time Pro Bowler, who led the league in passing yards two years before the trade was made.

Trade return: Three first-round picks (2022, 2023, 2024), a third-round pick (2022), and two fourth-round picks (2022, 2024).

Notes: Watson was under investigation for sexual assault allegations at the time of the trade and served an 11-game suspension during the 2022 season.

Eli Manning

Age at time of trade: 23

Accomplishments at time of trade: Manning was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2004 NFL Draft and had yet to play a game in the NFL.

Trade return: QB Phillip Rivers, a first-round pick (2005), a third round pick (2004), and a fifth-round pick (2005).

Notes: Manning made it known that he did not want to play for the Chargers, who held the No. 1 overall pick. They swapped him to the Giants for eventual eight-time Pro Bowler Phillp Rivers and draft capital.

Brett Favre

Age at time of trade: 22

Accomplishments at time of trade: Favre was a second-round pick who had appeared in just two games with the Falcons before he was traded.

Trade return: One first-round pick (No. 17 overall in 1992).

Notes: Favre was diagnosed with a degenerative hip condition and had limited playing time during his only year with the Falcons, but Packers GM Ron Wolf (father of Patriots executive Eliot Wolf) swapped a first-round pick for Favre who developed into a three-time league MVP.

Jim Plunkett

Age at time of trade: 28

Accomplishments at time of trade: Plunkett was named AFC Rookie of the Year while playing for the Patriots in 1971. He was the No. 1 overall pick that year.

Trade return: Three first-round picks (two in 1976, one in 1977), and one second-round pick (1977).

Notes: The best season the Patriots had with Plunkett under center was 1974, when they finished 7-7. Rookie Steve Grogan won the starting job the following year in 1975. Plunkett went on to win a pair of Super Bowls with the Raiders.

Joe Montana

Age at time of trade: 36

Accomplishments at time of trade: Four-time Super Bowl champion, three-time Super Bowl MVP, two time league MVP, 1989 NFL Offensive Player of the Year , three-time first-team All-Pro selection.

Trade return: A first-round pick (No. 18 overall in 1993).

Notes: Montana played two years in Kansas City after the trade, and was selected to the 1993 Pro Bowl. San Francisco used the pick on defensive Dana Stubblefield, who won Defensive Player of the Year in 1997.

Steve Young

Age at time of trade: 25

Accomplishments at time of trade: Young was a first-round pick in the now-defunct USFL. He joined the Buccaneers after his USFL team folded. He went 3-15 duing his time in Tampa, with 11 touchdowns against 21 interceptions.

Trade return: A second-round pick (1987), a fourth-round pick (1987), and $1 million.

Notes: The 49ers brought in Young to back up Montana. He won three Super Bowls and a pair of MVP awards.

John Elway

Age at time of trade: 22

Accomplishments at time of trade: Elway was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft and had yet to play a game in the league.

Trade return: OL Chris Hinton (1983 first-round pick), a first-round pick (1984), QB Mark Herrmann.

Notes: The Baltimore Colts had the No. 1 overall pick, and Elway refused to play for them, threatening to go play Major League Baseball instead.

Drew Bledsoe

Age at time of trade: 30

Accomplishments at time of trade: Bledsoe was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1993 NFL Draft, had made three Pro Bowls with the Patriots, and was a member of the Patriots’ first Super Bowl winning team.

Trade return: A first-round pick (2003).

Notes: Tom Brady had taken Bledsoe’s job and led the team to a Super Bowl win by this point, and the Patriots opted to move the former No. 1 overall pick for draft capital.

Khari A. Thompson

Sports Reporter

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.