Nobody was more active in the early stages of NFL free agency than the New England Patriots. With plenty of cap room to spend, Bill Belichick and the Patriots did just that, backing up the Brinks truck for multiple players like Matthew Judon, Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith and countless others.

New England needed to reload, after a deflating 2020 season that saw them miss out entirely on the postseason. The offense needed weapons and they got some with Henry, Smith and Nelson Agholor. Even with all the signings there's still one thing missing in New England, a long term franchise quarterback.

Cam Newton was resigned to a one-year deal. While he drew plenty of criticism last year and some of it was justifiable, it's hard to envision any quarterback having sustained success with the lack of talent surrounding Newton on offense last season.

The leading receiver for New England in 2020 was Jakobi Meyers and he only had 59 catches for 729 yards and zero touchdowns. The leader in the clubhouse last year in receiving touchdown, you guessed it, Rex Burkhead with three! You didn't guess that. There were a total of four touchdowns caught by wide receivers in the entire season. This, a roundabout way of saying Cam Newton didn't have much to work with.

Still, he isn't the long term answer for New England. When you have Tom Brady for 20 years, it's easy to get complacent and put the emphasis of the position on the back burner. New England desperately needs to find that answer now.

The Patriots have plenty of draft picks, ten in total to address the issue. However, drafting at No. 15 likely takes them out of the Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Zach Wilson sweepstakes. However names like Trey Lance and Mac Jones, who are both expected to be taken in round one, could be in play for New England. Even if they don't take a signal caller in the first round, it's a safe bet the Patriots take one in the earlier rounds.

Later quarterbacks on the radar could include Kyle Trask, maybe Jamie Newman? Who knows with New England. What is known is that they need the long term solution to take over as the heir apparent to Tom Brady. Cam Newton helped buffer the spot and warm the seat, and he may be the starter for all of the 2021 season, but New England would be foolish in thinking he will be their guy for the next handful of years. The one year contract he received is evident of that. And that's not a knock on Cam, it's just what the situation is and who Cam is at age 31.

It's often a mystery what New England is planning and the way they go about things is usually different than how other organizations do it. Given their track record, it's hard to blame the blueprint the lay out. But this year entering the NFL Draft is not much of a secret, at some point early on, the Patriots will draft a quarterback. Who exactly is tabbed and when are the only mysteries yet to be solved.