As the 2020 National Football League regular season is approaching, free agency is winding down and the 2020 NFL Draft is now completed, there are some questions still remaining. One of them is regarding the New England Patriots quarterback situation. Does Patriots head coach Bill Belichick seriously think that Jarrett Stidham, the inexperienced 23 year-old from Auburn, could be the New England starting quarterback this season and replace Tom Brady?
The answer apparently is yes. Or that is what Belichick would like us to assume. According to Mike Reiss of ESPN, the feeling that the Patriots were committed to Stidham as their starter came at the NFL Draft, when the Patriots did not select a quarterback with any of their draft picks.
At this time, Brian Hoyer of Lakewood, Ohio appears to be the backup as he signed a one year contract on March 25. This will be Hoyer’s third time with the Patriots as he was also with New England from 2009 to 2011 and again in 2017. In both stints in New England, Hoyer backed up Brady.
Now Belichick will be hoping that history repeats itself. For the 2002 Super Bowl, Belichick had a major decision to make. Should he go with Brady or Drew Bledsoe? Bledsoe had signed a 10-year contract worth $103 million, prior to the 2001 NFL season, was selected to three Pro Bowls while with the Patriots, helped the Patriots reach the 1997 Super Bowl and guided the Patriots to the 2002 Super Bowl after helping New England beat Pittsburgh 24-17 in the 2002 AFC Championship.
But Belichick went with the bold move and picked the 24 year-old Brady as his starter. The result? Brady ended up being the Super Bowl MVP as the Patriots beat the St. Louis Rams 20-17. The following season Bledsoe went to the Buffalo Bills and Brady would be the New England quarterback for the next two decades.
Now New England management as well as Belichick has a choice. They could go and try and get free agent Cam Newton, who is the big name quarterback left on the free agent market. Or, they could settle with Stidham. Belichick has a history of being unpredictable and even seems to pull for the underdog. So don’t be surprised if Stidham is given every opportunity to be the starting Patriots quarterback in September.
