3 Tom Brady backup plans for every team that was interested
By Mark Powell
Patriots backup plans after Tom Brady retirement
The chances of Tom Brady returning to New England always seemed grim, but one phone call from Robert Kraft could have changed all of that. The Bill Belichick-Brady relationship is what pushed him out the door in the first place, despite efforts from the New England owner to keep the status quo in place. Brady went to Tampa Bay, where he won his seventh Super Bowl and made Belichick look silly in the process.
Sadly for New England, the players make the coach — not the other way around. So, with Brady moving on for real this time to the FOX booth (most likely), where should they turn for their next signal-caller?
Patriots backup plan: Trade for Derek Carr
Trading for Carr would cost New England a Day 2 draft pick at the very least, which is a lot to ask considering they have a former first-round pick on the roster. Is Carr that much of an upgrade over Mac Jones?
The issue with the Patriots at the moment is that they don’t have many weapons for a quarterback like Carr to play with. In Vegas, he had Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow and Josh Jacobs to play with, and still ended up on the outs. In New England he’ll have DeVante Parker and Jakobi Meyers.
Good luck!
Patriots backup plan: Sign Jacoby Brissett
Jacoby Brissett is a former Patriot himself, and spent last season as a spot starter until the return of suspended quarterback Deshaun Watson in Cleveland. Brissett’s mission, as he termed it, was to prove he could be a starting quarterback in this league. There’s some debate as to whether he did that, but the Browns offense looked capable at times with the NC State product behind center.
Brissett can be a weapon when he has good players around him. A stable running game, like the one the Browns possess in Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, is a must. Rhamondre Stevenson and Damien Harris are good enough to keep opposing defenses honest.
Brissett is good enough to push Mac Jones in training camp, at the very least. He’d be worth a flyer.
Patriots backup plan: Keep Mac Jones in play
Ah, yes. The boring option.
Mac Jones struggled out the gate in 2022, but much of that can be blamed on Matt Patricia and New England’s offensive scheme. Patricia isn’t a bright offensive mind, and the pairing with Jones failed from the start. Now that Bill O’Brien has returned to his old stomping grounds to resurrect his coaching career, Jones can do the same with his once bright playing prospects.
Jones is a former first-round pick for a reason, and is more than capable of becoming the player the Patriots thought they were getting out of Alabama. In his rookie year, he game-managed well enough to lead the Pats to the playoffs.