New England Patriots: 5 Quarterbacks to replace Tom Brady if he leaves
5. Jarrett Stidham
The first option of a quarterback that could take over the reins under center for the New England Patriots if Tom Brady decides to move on for the 2020 season is current Patriots backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham. Stidham completed his rookie campaign with New England during the 2019 season backing up one of the best quarterbacks to ever step on the field.
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Stidham, who will turn 24 years old in August, could be a potential option for the Patriots to turn to if they don’t have success in trying to bring in a new quarterback if Brady joins another squad this season.
The young quarterback, who was drafted out of Auburn by New England in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, appeared in three games for the Patriots during the season, although he didn’t play that often while Brady handled a majority of the quarterbacking duties on offense in the regular season.
During the year, Stidham tallied a total of four passing attempts, completing two of those passes for a total of 14 yards through the air. He managed to average 3.5 yards per attempt, throwing one interception along the way.
Stidham took the field the most during the Week 3 victory over the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, a game that ended in the Patriots taking down their AFC East division opponent 30-14 at home.
If Brady decides to leave New England and the Patriots end up striking out on free agent quarterbacks this offseason, an option New England could levitate towards could be a quarterback that already lies within its roster in Stidham. He would provide the Patriots with a cheap option under center and also would allow the offense to continue to operate under the same system going into 2020.