5 Tom Brady replacements if he retires from Patriots

4. Lamar Jackson

With an extra first-round pick after sending wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the Rams, the Patriots could make a move for a quarterback as Brady’s successor regardless of what he decides to do. They appear to be doing some due diligence on the top quarterback prospects, but Jackson is in line to be the one among the top five who will be available when New England goes on the clock the first time.

Yahoo!’s Charles Robinson recently offered some speculation about Jackson emerging as the top quarterback on the Patriots’ draft board.

"By acquiring the 23rd overall pick in the first round in exchange for wideout Brandin Cooks (and already holding the 31st pick), the Patriots have given themselves flexibility for a quarterback selection in this month’s draft. And Jackson could emerge as New England’s top option for two key reasons: Thanks to an inside pipeline, Patriots coach Bill Belichick knows virtually everything he can about Jackson; and the Louisville star already knows plenty about the base concepts of New England’s offense."

Jackson has been subject to antiquated stereotypes about athleticism (too much) and intelligence (not enough?). But Bill Polian’s initial though that the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner will have to move to wide receiver has gone away, and the only questions are who will draft Jackson and how soon he’ll play.

If Brady does call it quits immediately, any succession plan timeline attached to Jackson after drafting him would be necessarily accelerated. But he would be the most exciting option on this list, with the widest range of initial outcomes.