NFL Writer Gives Interesting Take On How ‘Married’ Patriots Are To Jarrett Stidham

The New England Patriots will have to rely on second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham for the upcoming season. The team lost Tom Brady in free agency. Brady decided to sign a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, putting an end to his twenty-year career with the Patriots. How confident is head coach Bill Belichick about Stidham and his starting role?

The Patriots will enter the most anticipating season in the team’s history. Brady is out, and the Patriots haven’t really played a season without him except for the time when he sustained a terrible injury.

Stidham and veteran journeyman Brian Hoyer are the only options Belichick has. He also signed undrafted free agent Brian Lewerke and J’Mar Smith. In the past few months, the Patriots have passed on a bunch of talented free agents, and Belichick wasn’t interested in signing any of them.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote a piece Friday on how “married” to the starting signal-caller each team was. His rankings were economical, and Stidham was 31st in the NFL only leading Gardner Minshew from the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“A fourth-round pick in 2019, Stidham’s entire guarantee was a $636,112 signing bonus,” Graziano wrote. “The Patriots are scheduled to pay him about $2.5 million total over the next three years, none of it guaranteed. Since he was not a first-round pick, there’s no fifth-year option for 2023. Basically, if Stidham doesn’t work out, he’ll cost the Patriots close to nothing.”

The Patriots like Jarrett Stidham

New England doesn’t have a lot of money tied to Jarrett. The team may not be as “married” to the second-year quarterback from a financial standpoint compared to other NFL teams. However, they will definitely give him a chance to become a regular under center.

Stidham is a talented player, and New England can easily use every bit of his talent to win games. Stidham may easily became a replacement for Brady. Some analysts believe that Hoyer can replace Brady, but Belichick may decide to trust his younger quarterback. Let’s see how will things turn for the Patriots in September. Who will start games?