Bill Belichick will surely feel good about retaining one of his shrewdest talent evaluators, Nick Caserio, while the New England Patriots make one of the most challenging personnel decisions in the team’s history.
Should the Patriots re-sign Tom Brady?
Surely, Belichick and Caserio will sit behind closed doors as they attempt to evaluate what Brady is worth. They have to figure out how his talent — and the potential that his talent is declining — translates to dollars in a contract. And they’ll do their best to leave emotion out of it, as they’ve done so many times with players who have moved on in free agency.
That’s why Caserio’s contract extension is so crucial. The Patriots will retain him to help decide whether to keep Brady — or not. And if Brady leaves New England, Caserio will be around to help with the steps that follow. Surely, he and Belichick are working on contingency plans. They are likely evaluating what they’d pay for just about any and every quarterback on the free agency market: Drew Brees, Teddy Bridgewater, Ryan Tannehill, Jameis Winston, Philip Rivers and so on. They are considering what they’d give up for trade targets like the Bengals’ Andy Dalton, the Bears’ Mitchell Trubisky and the Panthers’ Cam Newton. The Patriots will also look to the draft, where they have the 23rd overall pick and three third-round picks, among others. And finally, they’ll evaluate quarterback Jarrett Stidham and Cody Kessler, both of whom spent the 2019 season backing up Brady.
Caserio will leave no stone unturned. He and Belichick are as thorough as executives come. The obvious options mentioned above are likely only the beginning of the process for New England, which has a history of thinking creatively about personnel under Belichick (and Caserio).
Finally, if the Patriots replace Brady, they will likely use Caserio’s knowledge of that newcomer (or returner, in the case of Stidham and Kessler) to help build an offensive system around that quarterback. The Patriots would have to massively adjust their offense if Brady isn’t the operator. Caserio would likely work closely with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels – another staffer who seemed to toy with the idea of leaving New England – to develop an offensive in which the new starter can excel. That’s unique for a director of player personnel. Caserio has coaching experience, and spends more time on the practice field than any executive around the NFL. His ability to link scouting to coaching is unrivaled — that would help acclimate a quarterback.
While preparing for transition, Belichick will be relieved to have Caserio.
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