With Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the New England Patriots have a problem they haven't had to deal with for a long time, who is going to be their starting quarterback heading into the 2020 season. Cody Kessler, Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer are all on the Patriots roster, but they could also look somewhere else to try and compete in 2020. Let's breakdown a couple of different options for the Patriots 2020 season, depending on what their goals are for the 2020 season.
Brian Hoyer
Brian Hoyer should have a chance to compete for the starting job but he isn't the right option to lead this team. Hoyer is 34 years old and he isn't a player who is going to help lead the Patriots to playoff success. In his career, Hoyer has made 38 starts and only came away with victories in 16 of those games. Hoyer might be able to lead the Patriots to an 8-8 season but what good does that really do the team?
Jarrett Stidham
Jarrett Stidham is an interesting case and is the only quarterback currently on the roster who should start for the Patriots for the 2020 season.
The Patriots drafted Stidham in the fourth round of the 2019 draft and there was some thought he could take over for Brady once the veteran retired or left. Now Brady is gone, and it makes a lot of sense for the Patriots to see what they have in Stidham.
If it doesn't work out with Stidham and he really struggles it might not be the worst thing in the world for the Patriots. The team could eliminate Stidham from its future plans without worrying about the effects on the salary cap. It also wouldn't be the worst thing for the Patriots to have only one or two wins in the 2020 season. Trevor Lawrence would look really good as the future quarterback of the Patriots and tanking for him might be the best option should Stidham struggle.
If the Patriots decide they don't want to tank, it would make a lot of sense for the team to bring in Jameis Winston on a one-year deal, or a two-year deal with the second year being a team option.
During the 2019 season, Winston threw for 5,109 yards, 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. There is no doubt he has some arm talent and can be dynamic; the interceptions are something that have been holding him back.
No one has been able to fix that issue for Winston, but maybe Bill Belichick could be the right guy to get into his ear and help him change.
If it doesn't work it's only one year lost, and the expectations seem low for the Patriots this year. If Winston has a big year, New England would have him under control for at least one more season, and maybe he could be the Patriots quarterback for 10 or 12 more years if he can turn around his turnover rate. It should also be noted that the Patriots are reportedly not pursuing Winston at the present moment.
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