5 moves the Patriots can make now that Tom Brady is gone

Tom Brady’s departure leaves the Patriots with a massive hole at quarterback. Here are five ways New England could solve that problem.

Patriots fans can spend the day in mourning over Tom Brady’s decision to leave New England. Bill Belichick and his front office don’t have that luxury. They must immediately turn their attention towards finding a new starting quarterback for the 2020 season.

Going into the regular season with Jarrett Stidham as the projected starter is not an acceptable plan. The Patriots will need to look outside the organization for Brady’s successor.

Drafting a rookie also isn’t going to be a suitable outcome for Belichick. The franchise is ready to win now and needs an established player under center to make that happen. The Patriots might spend a draft choice on a developmental quarterback, but they won’t be moving up in the first round to acquire a blue chip prospect.

That leaves two legitimate avenues for the franchise to pursue. They’ll need to either sign a new starter in free agency or swing a trade for a player who can lead their offense in 2020. Here are their best five options.

5. Sign Philip Rivers

Rivers is a veteran presence who could come in and immediately command respect inside the Patriots’ locker room. Brady’s departure also leaves New England with plenty of cash to satisfy his contract demands in free agency.

The downside to inking Rivers is that he’s only a solution for the next season or two. There’s a reason why the Chargers were willing to let him walk. His physical skills are clearly on the decline. He’s never been mobile and his diminished arm strength has drastically reduced his margin for error on throws down the field at this point in his career.

Signing Rivers in free agency would stop the bleeding for New England, but it wouldn’t do anything to fix the position for the long haul. The Patriots should aim for something more than a stopgap, but bringing Rivers would prevent disaster in Foxborough.