Patriots Insider Claims Team is Not 'All in' on Jarrett Stidham so New England Fans Can Exhale
By Will Coleman
Since Tom Brady's departure from New England was made official last month, Patriots fans have been dying to know who the team's next starting quarterback will be. New England can still add someone in free agency -- Cam Newton and Jameis Winston are still out there, folks! -- and you can never rule out drafting a quarterback they're keen on developing. At the very least, Pats fans really don't want Jarrett Stidham as the franchise's next signal-caller by default.
Fortunately, you can relax, New England fans. NFL insider Mike Lombardi insinuated on his "GM Shuffle" podcast this week that the Patriots don't have all their chips on Stidham, and are open-minded about the team's future at the quarterback position.
Michael Lombardi: Patriots open minded at QB, ‘not all-in’ on Jarrett Stidham https://t.co/eWsKQtRvoA
— WEEI (@WEEI) April 9, 2020
Sure, that doesn't answer all the big questions New England fans may have, but it's a start.
Even if Stidham ends up starting Week 1 next season, the Patriots likely still need to add a quarterback, even if only for depth reasons. All told, Stidham and Brian Hoyer won't instill much confidence. There's definitely work to be done.
"Jarrett Stidham is a backup quarterback."
— NESN (@NESN) April 2, 2020
Why Nick Wright believes the Patriots are making a mistake by not pursing Cam Newton: https://t.co/LwxnMgwCD7 pic.twitter.com/gPLCkSqPOj
For the first time in his New England tenure, head coach Bill Belichick won't have a star-level quarterback at his disposal. The Patriots could go in so many varying directions to figure out their next QB1, and going with Stidham might be the least safe bet on the table.