7. Philip Rivers, QB, FA

Drew Brees will be the best stopgap option in free agency, but he’s likely to return to the Saints. So then it’s Brady, who — for the sake of this exercise — we’re assuming is leaving New England. That could put Rivers in the driver’s seat in New England. No franchise lets its players down quite like L.A. Perhaps Belichick can help Rivers enjoy a year or two more of success. The question will be whether Rivers’ family makes the conversation a nonstarter. They are based in San Diego, and if they didn’t uproot to L.A., they may not want to uproot to the Boston area. If that became a possibility, I could see the Patriots negotiating a team-friendly deal for Rivers’ to start in 2019.

Meanwhile, the Patriots would likely roster three quarterbacks, with hopes Stidham and a 2020 draft pick can develop into their franchise quarterback.