5 Most Likely Mac Jones Replacements for Patriots Next Season

2. Kirk Cousins

It doesn't make a whole lot of sense for the Patriots to trade for Kirk Cousins like some are projecting, but that doesn't mean he won't end up in Foxborough after all.

Cousins is going to be 36 years old by the end of next season, but from what we've seen of quarterbacks in recent years we can probably expect that to mean he has another two or three good seasons left in him, and that's perfect.

Like it or not, Bill Belichick is not going to commit to a full "blow it up and rebuild" approach for as long as he's here. And that's understandable with the current state of this roster. There are still a lot of good pieces in place, include a defense with the potential to be among the league's best.

Cousins is a lot better than he often gets credit for, and when paired with a strong defense he'll make any team a legitimate playoff squad (though he probably also won't carry anyone to a Super Bowl).

Pro Football Focus has Cousins ranked No. 10 in the NFL in passing grade this season, and that comes after ranking No. 5 in 2021 and No. 7 in 2022.The last time he didn’t rank top-12 was 2018 (when he ranked 13th).

Knowing we would only have a couple-year window with Cousins, the Patriots could also spend a relatively high draft pick on a quarterback to develop — something Belichick was never shy about doing toward the latter part of Tom Brady's tenure.