Tom Brady is gone, and although there are still bodies present, the Patriots quarterback room looks emptier than it has in 20 years. However, the future starts today, and that’s something to be excited about. The Patriots could have their next starting quarterback already in the building in Jarrett Stidham.
The Patriots drafted Stidham in the fourth round of last year’s NFL draft. In his rookie year, he played only 15 snaps due to Brady’s presence. If Stidham is the next starting quarterback of the New England Patriots, it’s only right that everyone should be familiar with who he is and what he’s done.
Here are five things you should know about Stidham.
1. He had a successful college career, with the exception of his final year at Auburn.
Stidham’s college journey was a little atypical. He was brought into Baylor in 2015 as a true freshman and saw some playing time as a backup. However, the quarterback transferred to a community college after the firing of their head coach. Stidham returned back to Division I football with the Auburn Tigers after just a semester at community college. He would go on to start 27 games over two years at Auburn, throwing for 5,952 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
Stidham’s final year of college saw him take a step back from the player he was the year prior in 2017. Auburn had very little to work with, and scouts saw Stidham veer away from his mechanics. A fundamentally sound and smart quarterback was in there, he just needed the right coach to pull it out of him.