Report: Frontrunner To Replace Tom Brady Emerges

The New England Patriots will have to replace Tom Brady this offseason. The quarterback left the Patriots in free agency. He is part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers now. Head coach Bill Belichick has a few options on his mind. He has Jarrett Stidham on the roster. Is Stidham ready for the challenge?

The Patriots aren’t in a rush to replace TB12.

New England has shown no interest in snatching free agent Cam Newton. The Pats didn’t consider trading for Cincinnati Bengals’ Andy Dalton. Coach Belichick will have to create enough cap space to ease the contracts. The Pats have only $2.8 million available, and that’s second-lowest total in the NFL.

The Patriots will have to replace Tom Brady

At this point of the season, the Patriots have second-year player Jarrett Stidham and journeyman quarterback Brian Hoyer. The team cut third-stringer Cody Kessler on Wednesday. Kessler is a former third-round pick of the Cleveland Browns. He didn’t play any games after inking a deal with the Pats in October.

Stidham was the team’s fourth-round pick in 2019 out of Auburn. He saw action in three games. In his rookie campaign, he three only four passes as a rookie. This includes a pick-6 by Jets safety Jamal Adams in Week 7. However, Belichick seems impressed with the performance Stidham had on the practice field. He will probably focus on that in 2020.

The Patriots may try to pick another quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft. That’s not likely to happen with the 23rd overall selection in the first round of the draft. The will then go with the 87th overall selection in the third round of the draft.

Coach Belichick has picked a quarterback in three of the past four drafts and four of the last six. He snatched Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round in 2014. Garoppolo was sent to San Francisco in 2017. Jacoby Brissett was selected in the third round in 2016. Belichick sent him to the Indianapolis Colts in 2017.

Belichick will have to rewrite his winning formula. Let’s hope that he will find a way to use his current quarterbacks. Stidham is 23. He doesn’t have the same experience as Brady.