Patriots, Bears, and 3 others NFL teams that should tank for Trevor Lawrence

It’s hard to see Bill Belichick actively tanking a season. But with the proverbial pelts he’s got on the wall, in the form of six Super Bowl rings, he has more equity than any coach. Jarrett Stidham has been anointed as Tom Brady’s successor, while Brian Hoyer was signed as a veteran backup/competition.

The Patriots have had little or no interest in other veterans (Cam Newton, Andy Dalton, etc.). Could there be a master plan to win 2-4 games and secure a top-end quarterback in next spring’s draft? It can’t be totally ruled out.

After basically 19 seasons with Brady as the quarterback, minus the one he missed all but minutes of due to a torn ACL, the Patriots have had remarkable stability at the most important position in sports. That didn’t stop Belichick from drafting quarterbacks though, if only to eventually use them as trade assets. If he had gotten his way, it seems like Jimmy Garoppolo would have taken over for Brady a couple years ago.

If you were going to bottom out for a year, you’d probably push the idea of starting a second-year fourth-round pick with four regular season pass attempts on his resume. Then, you’d sign someone familiar to back that guy up who’s not necessarily a threat to win the job (this will be Hoyer’s third stint with the Patriots). Then you’d bypass drafting a quarterback, and sign two undrafted free agents to fill the depth chart/create “competition”.

Hmm…Will the Patriots try to “Tank for Trevor?”