Now that Tom Brady is leaving New England, who will the Patriots replace him with?

Tom Brady is officially leaving New England, so Bill Belichick will need to do a little digging to find his next starting quarterback.

A shock wave came over the NFL this morning when Tom Brady announced on Instagram that he is leaving New England. For the first time in 20 years, the Patriots need to find a new starting quarterback.

Bill Belichick has no doubt been preparing for the possibility of Brady’s departure, and there are plenty of quarterbacks available this offseason. None have quite the dynasty-sustaining upside that Brady does, but let’s take a look at a few options to immediately replace TB12 under center in New England.

Andy Dalton

The name that has gotten the most buzz so far is Andy Dalton, who is on the trade block with the Bengals expected to draft Joe Burrow with the no. 1 pick next month. A mid-round pick should be all it takes to get Dalton out of Cincinnati, and he has the football smarts that Belichick loves in a quarterback.

Teddy Bridgewater

If Belichick chooses to wade into the free-agent pool one of the best options available is Teddy Bridgewater, who isn’t that far removed from being considered a rising star in the NFL. A knee injury with Minnesota slowed that trajectory, but Bridgewater has played his way back into being a viable starter. Bridgewater showed he can win at a high-level last season in New Orleans, going a perfect 5-0 in his starts replacing the injured Drew Brees.

Philip Rivers

Another free agent who could make sense for New England is Philip Rivers, who is coming off his worst statistical season and is moving on from the Los Angeles Chargers. Rivers is only a year removed from a campaign where he threw for 4,308 yards with 32 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, so the talent is still there. At age 38, Rivers would be a stopgap solution.

Jameis Winston

There may not be a more talented quarterback in terms of pure upside on the market than Jameis Winston, who led the NFL in passing yards last season. Winston also had trouble holding onto the football, leading the league in interceptions and convincing Tampa Bay to move on from the top pick in the 2015 draft. There is a buy-low opportunity here for Winston if Belichick believes he can coach him up into cutting down the turnovers.

A first-round pick

The Patriots can also consider using free agency to address their holes and draft a quarterback in the first round to be the long term answer. There are some intriguing quarterbacks who should be on the board when New England picks at 23, including Jacob Eason, Jake Fromm, and Jalen Hurts. The Patriots also have enough draft picks to move up a few slots to land their guy, so don’t be shocked if Belichick drafts a quarterback either.