Adam Schefter Offers Glimpse Of How Patriots Might View Quarterback Situation

The New England Patriots have found themselves in a similar quarterback situation as last year. NFL teams made some moves in the offseason, and head coach Bill Belichick did his homework. Belichick signed Cam Newton to another one-year deal, but he can easily bring another quarterback to the roster. Is he going after a top prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft?

This year’s roster is packed with talent. Belichick brought a lot of valuable names to New England. Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith provided tons of depth to the tight end unit. Belichick signed the best tight names on the market. Newton has a great group to work with. He lacked strong weapons in 2020. That was one of the reasons that led to a failed season. The Patriots missed the playoffs and it was terrible.

Adam Schefter discussed the Patriots’ situation on ESPN. According to him, Belichick may move on with Newton if he doesn’t get a better alternative.

“First and foremost, people forget that Cam Newton is coming off a year in which they went 7-9, in which he didn’t go through the offseason program at all, in which he had COVID, in which they lacked offensive firepower that the team believes it addressed this offseason with the addition of so many offensive weapons,” Schefter detailed. “So, they believe Cam Newton will get a better, fairer shake this season than he did last season, which I think might reduce some of the urgency. Now, I still think they’re in the quarterback market. If they can get the right guy, at the right price, they certainly would.”

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has the quarterback situation under control

New England has the No.15 overall. Some analysts believe the Patriots will trade up for a signal-caller in the first round. This year’s class has a lot of valuable players such as Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence.

The Patriots worked with Tom Brady for two decades. He left the team to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady’s departure led to many changes in Foxboro. This may motivate Belichick to try out some new things.

“If we look back at Bill Belichick through the years, he’s traded up in the first round four different times,” Schefter said. “Most recently in 2012, when he traded up to go get Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower. The other times he traded up: Ty Warren, 2003. Daniel Graham, 2002. He has never — repeat never — traded up for a quarterback in the first round of the NFL draft.

“So, if he did that two weeks from now, that would be the first time that he’s ever done that as the Patriots head coach. And while, again, it’s not out of the question, you heard himself say, essentially, there are only certain players in a certain amount of time they can jump up to go get the quarterback they want.”