New England Patriots: 5 NFL options to replace Tom Brady

Sam Minton

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 04: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots addresses the media in a press conference following the Patriots 20-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at Gillette Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The New England Patriots need a new quarterback after Tom Brady’s departure and after the flurry of moves on Tuesday, these are the options that are left.

I still can’t believe that I am typing these words. Tom Brady won’t be returning to the New England Patriots.

The Patriots need a quarterback for the first time in a long time. My entire life Tom Brady has been under center for New England.

So who will New England go after? They have multiple options. New England can go after a QB in the NFL Draft or stick with someone who is already in the NFL.

We saw a lot of moves go down on Tuesday. Teddy Bridgewater is now on the Carolina Panthers so that is one target off the board. Also if you for some reason thought Phillip Rivers was coming to New England he also got scooped up by the Colts.

So let’s take a look at 5 NFL options to replace Tom Brady.

Jacoby Brissett

I wouldn’t be too surprised to see a reunion happen in New England and there are a few that could happen. One of these reunions could be with Jacoby Brissett.

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Now that Philip Rivers is on the Colts there isn’t a need for Brissett on the roster. Especially considering that they would be on the hook for more than $20 million next season.

This makes trading Brissett look like the only option. The fact that Indy signed Rivers will also decrease the price for Brissett. Taking Brissett off of the Colts hands would be doing them a favor.

If Brissett was to return we would already have a small sample size of his capabilities. He started 2 games and had 400 passing yards.

Since then Brissett got to start two seasons while in Indy. He tallied over 6,000 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.

If the Patriots did acquire Brissett we would have a completely different QB under center. Bill Belichick would get to experiment with a mobile QB.

So don’t count out a Jacoby Brissett reunion.

Jimmy Garoppolo

This reunion is definitely less likely but still possible. Could Jimmy Garoppolo come back to New England?

We all know how much Bill Belichick loved Jimmy G. If it was up to him he wouldn’t have even traded him.

Jameis Winston

You guys want to get crazy? Let’s get crazy.

All signs point to Tom Brady heading to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The NFL themselves even tweeted it out.

So Jameis Winston is looking for a new home. Why don’t we just do a good old fashioned swap and bring Winston to New England?

Winston had an interesting 2019 season. He led the league with 5,109 passing yards and also threw for 30 touchdowns. The problem was he threw for 30 interceptions.

Clearly, Winston has some talent. You don’t just wing your way into leading the league in passing yards.

Maybe the problem was his vision. He got offseason surgery that will erase the squinting Winston memes we have grown to love.

The fact that Winston is a free agent makes him a much more appealing option. He likely wouldn’t cost as much compared to what New England would have to give up in a trade.

If Bill Belichick is as good as he is made out to be I think he can make Winston a great QB. He has a solid arm and definitely would be interesting to watch.

Cam Newton

Another quarterback impacted by Tuesday’s multiple moves is Cam Newton. It looks like the Panthers have given up on him now that Teddy Bridgwater is a Panther.

With that in mind, Carolina has allowed Newton and his management to seek a trade. That means Newton could come to New England.

Like Brissett, Newton would come at a discount since he missed the majority of the season with a foot issue. With all his injury issues taking on Newton would be quite the risk.

But Newton is still 30 years old. He definitely still has some good years ahead of him. In 2018 we saw him throw for 3,300 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Newton just needs to change his game if he wants to continue being a quality QB.

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Going forward we won’t be seeing Newton run as much as he used to. He will have to become a better pocket passer and New England seems to be the perfect place to do so.

Jarrett Stidham

Well, we can’t forget the guy who is already on the roster. New England Patriots fans might not have expected this to happen so quickly, but it appears that the Patriots are Jarett Stidham’s team.

If the New England Patriots are to stand pat we will see what Stidham is made of. Is he the next Tom Brady or will he fall on his face? It’s definitely a position I wouldn’t want to be in.

Stidham is being hyped up as an amazing quarterback. Someone who can win games in clutch moments and is also tough and confident. he seems to have all the makings of being a great leader.

Having Stidham start is the likely result as New England has minimal cap space. They would have to do some real maneuvering in order to get someone else to be the Patriots QB.

So I guess we will have to wait and see who will be the Patriots quarterback next season.

Sam Minton

Sam Minton is a graduate of Salem State University where he majored in Communications with a concentration in Journalism. He is a passionate sports fan with his favorite teams being the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, New England Patriots, New England Revolution and New York Yankees.