For the first time in 20 years, the New England Patriots will have a new quarterback in the 2020 NFL season. Tom Brady is now on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which leaves a three-way quarterback competition between second-year QB Jarrett Stidham, 11-year veteran Brian Hoyer and recent big-name signee Cam Newton.

Stidham recently weighed in on the quarterback battle to Michael Giardi of NFL Network:

“Yeah. No, I definitely feel like — how I view things is every day is a competition. Whether I’m first string, second string, third string, fourth string, fifth string, I don’t view it as that. I just view it as a great opportunity to get better with my teammates every single day and to compete really hard. I look at it as competing against myself, too, and trying to learn and grow every single day, to help myself get better each and every day I go out there on the field.”

It seems exceedingly likely that in order to keep up the team’s nonstop presence in the playoffs for the past two decades, the Pats will opt to have Cam Newton be the team’s opening day starting quarterback. He has an MVP award to his resume as well as a trip to the Super Bowl in 2015.

Stidham played three college seasons with the Baylor Bears and Auburn Tigers and was drafted in the fourth round (133rd overall) by the Pats in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Though he will likely be behind Newton to start the year, Stidham might be pressed into action considering Newton’s checkered injury history.