Who will be the Patriots quarterback in 2021?
The Patriots have a big question at quarterback for the 2021 season.
Cam Newton was benched in the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s game in favor of Jarrett Stidham. That was not a great sign for his potential future with the New England Patriots.
This latest loss likely knocks the Patriots out of the playoff picture and Bill Belichick may already be considering a replacement for Newton in 2021. He can go a number of different ways with that decision.
Patriots’ options at QB in 2021
The in-house options are Newton and Stidham. However, the former is likely going to command much more money next season after proving he is healthy enough to play. A combo of Stidham with Brian Hoyer returning as the backup is possible if the Patriots believe Stidham can succeed. However, signing Newton in the first place did not speak to confidence in the young quarterback.
Signing someone like Jameis Winston is another possibility and would basically be a repeat of what the team did in 2020 with Newton. The only knock against that possibility is the Patriots passing on Winston this year in favor of Newton.
One extremely enticing possibility is the team trading for Sam Darnold. Would the New York Jets really trade their former top pick to a division rival? Enough draft capital could surely sway such a deal if the Jets have zero intention of retaining Darnold.
This would be the best option considering the Patriots won’t be in a position to draft a top quarterback. They would be getting a former top prospect who hasn’t been able to properly develop in that disastrous Jets system. The potential was there when he was drafted and getting on a real team could make Darnold the quarterback of the future in New England.
Such a trade happening would mean the Patriots are sending the Jets a ton of draft capital and even some players in return. But if they are set on drafting Trevor Lawrence and he agrees to play in New York, there is no reason to keep Darnold.
The one-year rental option for someone like Winston would not build for the future and the Patriots won’t benefit in the long-term by being average with a quarterback who isn’t a permanent option.
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Trying to trade for Darnold should be atop plenty of teams’ to-do list this offseason. The Patriots need to be a part of that bunch and if they fail, Newton does know the system and can be a fallback option as Belichick considers his plans and his future with the team.