New England Patriots: 2-Step offseason plan to fixing the offense
New England Patriots offseason Step 1: Go get a permanent quarterback
The top priority this offseason for New England should be fixing the ongoing issue at quarterback.
Since Tom Brady left in free agency and has since won yet another Super Bowl ring in Tampa Bay, the Patriots have had a huge question mark under center and the experiments they tried at the position in 2020 didn’t answer any of those questions.
New England took a shot with Cam Newton to see if he would be able to lead the team in 2020 and perhaps beyond when the organization signed him as the new starting quarterback last offseason. That one-year trial didn’t work out as planned for either side, with the Patriots now sitting in the same position they were a year ago in looking for a starting quarterback.
One way Bill Belichick and company could address the issue at quarterback could be through the NFL Draft, with a handful of quarterbacks looking like they could be solid prospects to lead a franchise moving forward.
Another way New England could and perhaps should look to fix the need under center is on the trade market or via free agency. And with the expected heavy movement at that position throughout the NFL this offseason, there will be a prime opportunity to do just that and to fix that need on offense with a permanent option.
A few names that immediately come to mind that would be good fits in New England and would likely be available for the Patriots to bring in are Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota and San Francisco 49ers quarterback and former New England backup Jimmy Garoppolo.
Both quarterbacks could be had for the right price, and that would likely have to come via trade unless either of them would be cut by their current teams this offseason.
When it comes to Mariota, who is 27 years old, he is under contract with the Raiders for one more year, due around $10.7 million in 2021. With Mariota serving as the backup begin Derek Carr in Las Vegas and the team sitting in somewhat of a rough spot salary cap wise, you would think the Raiders look to move Mariota prior to the start of the new season.
Mariota would be a nice fit in New England and is still relatively young to take things over for at least the next few years. Now it’s just a question of what the price would be for Mariota or if he would be available on the free agent market at some point if Las Vegas cuts him.
Another intriguing idea is a reunion between Garoppolo and the Patriots, as the 49ers have been rumored to be looking to move on from the 29-year-old. Garoppolo, of course, served as a backup to Tom Brady before New England traded him to San Francisco in 2017.
It’s hard to imagine San Francisco moving on from Garoppolo unless it is able to bring in another quarterback to lead the offense beforehand. If that were to happen, the 49ers could look to trade the veteran or cut him for a cap penalty of $2.8 million.
Garoppolo could be had, reportedly, via trade or eventually as a free agent, and he could be a prime candidate to return to Foxborough as the starting quarterback for the Patriots.