The New England Patriots are in a state of emergency with Tom Brady’s potential departure, right?
Longtime quarterback coach Jordan Palmer doesn’t believe that’s the case. Palmer has been second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham’s throwing coach since he was 16 years old and he has much higher expectations than most.
Palmer played in the NFL for six teams and converted into a throwing coach after his career ended. He’s the younger brother of Carson Palmer, leaving him with a slew of knowledge and experience with NFL quarterbacking.
He caught up with The Athletic’s Jeff Howe and discussed the future of Stidham, and how he can be the Patriots’ next franchise guy.
“To be clear, I think he is a star, and he is going to be a big-time franchise quarterback,” Palmer said. “I have felt that way for a couple years now. I’m totally fine saying that. I don’t care that he went fourth round. I think he is legitimate. He is going to be the leader of New England for a long time, whenever that starts. Go ahead and jump on that bandwagon.”
Unlike Jimmy Garoppolo, Stidham only spent one year under Brady, giving him less time to develop. Garoppolo’s talent became more apparent after a couple seasons in New England, and Stidham might not be lucky enough to have that luxury. If Brady stays, it gives him at least another year to learn from the greatest quarterback ever, while finding his way as an NFL talent.
Palmer and Stidham have worked vigorously at growing and doing intricate drills to increase velocity — which is viewed as one of his flaws. Stidham has been known for having a deadly accurate deep ball and making the right decisions.
“Because he can spin it as good as anybody in the league, literally from a data perspective,” Palmer said. “The focus for Jarrett was velocity. So he gained 11 percent velocity over two months, and that was almost double what the other guys were. So just by focusing on certain areas, we can make large gains. So with Jarrett, every other week or so, we’re testing that and having him throw from the simulator out on the field, and we’re able to monitor growth and address certain issues.”
Stidham also has stability that many young players lack, according to Palmer. His lifestyle allows him to focus on becoming a franchise quarterback, with little outside distractions.
“Jarrett grew up with a lot of adversity at a young age,” Palmer said. “He’s at a very mature point in his life. He’s married. He’s settled. His life is very organized. That’s a hard thing when guys’ lives are in disarray, and they are trying to be franchise quarterbacks and they’re young — it’s problematic. His life is very set and organized. That sounds lame to a fan, but it’s relevant from my perspective.
“He can throw it as good as anybody in the NFL. I think anyone who has seen him would agree with that. I’ve got five, six, seven of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL, and he is right there at the top. He has played big ball, beat ‘Bama, played big games in college, had to learn two completely different systems in college and is now learning a third. He is playing for the best organization in football and the greatest coach of all time. I would put my money on the guy who gets to play with that guy.”
If Brady does happen to leave, the Patriots will still have to draft a quarterback or find someone in free agency. But, it seems that Stidham is up for the test and ready to take over whenever he’s needed.
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