Jarrett Stidham has been in the middle of the New England Patriots’ quarterback drama this offseason. With Tom Brady’s departure for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Stidham seemed like the next man up — at least for a few months. But the apparent vote of confidence in Stidham became more complicated when the team signed Cam Newton to a one-year contract.
Stidham’s rise will likely take a backseat to Newton’s comeback season. There’s still the possibility that Stidham could win the job, but even former Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia admitted Newton has a significant advantage. When it comes to replacing Brady, Newton may be the first quarterback to give it a try. But don’t count out Stidham — not in the long run.
“How does Jarrett see this?” Stidham’s college coach Gus Malzahn asked in response to that same question in a conversation with ESPN. “This is what he’s been wanting. He’s been looking forward to the moment. It’s really not any deeper than that. If you’d given Jarrett a choice in the matter, I bet he would have picked New England and hoped to follow Tom Brady.”
Stidham will get a shot at doing just that this year. And though he faces long odds in 2020, perhaps he’ll get a better opportunity in 2021 when Newton is likely to propel himself to a bigger and better contract with a team not named the Patriots. If Newton moved on in 2021, it could be Stidham time.
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