What will the Patriots do at quarterback in 2021?
A year separated from their long time starting quarterback, the New England Patriots are left once again asking themselves, “Who will be under center for us next year?” In 2020, Tom Brady left his long time home of Boston to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and eventually bring a Lombardi back to the Bay. The Patriots pursued and signed Cam Newton to a one year “prove it” deal that left both parties questioning the future of their relationship. Cam had once been the league MVP and arguably led his team single handedly to Super Bowl 50, which the Panthers subsequently fell short to the Broncos, but at this point, he’s no where near the same talent he used to be.
Bill Belichick and the Patriots will set out on their quarterback search in the next few months and the question many Bostonians (along with any bandwagon fans that have some how stayed faithful over the past year) are asking is, “Who will lead our team out of the regular season once again?”
One answer to this question could be free agency, or trade opportunities. Some possible names could include Marcus Mariota, Sam Darnold, Deshaun Watson or Jimmy Garoppolo. Some names here are more likely than others, Darnold is an unlikely choice due to the inter divisional trade which would have to happen. Watson and a return of Jimmy G are also unlikely because both of these teams are seemingly unwilling to part with their guys. Mariota is allegedly on the chopping block for the Raiders mainly due to his impressive performance against the Chiefs when Carr went down in the 2020 season. This performance has boosted his value and the Raiders may be able to cash in on it. Would Billy B want to form his team around a failed second overall pick? Likely not, but the Oregon product could potentially be a transition piece that would help groom a draft choice. Speaking of which, lets get onto our next possibility.
The draft is most likely where the next franchise quarterback will come for the Patriots. Some names to watch in the first and second round are Kyle Trask from Florida, Mac Jones from Alabama, Zach Wilson from BYU and Jamie Newman from Wake Forest. The most likely options here are Trask and Jones, for those two are likely to be available when the Pats pick at 15. It would be fun for fans if the franchise made a move up the board to secure one of those big names, but the cost would be immeasurable, and the willingness of teams inside the top five is likely nonexistent. Jamie Newman is a dark horse option that we chose to list because of the possibility that the Pats could skip a QB in the first round, and pick one up later. This draft class for quarterbacks is deep so watch out for a move down on draft night, or even an all out skip on the position.
To conclude, the Patriots simply need a new face to their franchise. Cam Newton was a swing and a miss, and its possible the front office knows this. Should they take a shot at a trade, we’ll just have to wait and see. And as always, whatever happens, expect us to leave our opinion on the decision right here for you to agree or disagree with.