The favorites
8. Jarrett Stidham, Patriots: (Rostered) Brady’s backup could simply elevate himself to the starting role if the six-time Super Bowl champion leaves in free agency. Stidham arrived in New England with a long list of to-dos after struggling to develop at Auburn. And perhaps he’ll need more time before he can take over the offense. If he takes a major second-year leap, he could be the starter. At this point, he has a direct path, if Brady leaves.
7. Cam Newton, Panthers: (Trade) Carolina has made initial indications it is committed to Newton. But of course, that could just be a front. It could just be a smokescreen. When the draft rolls around, the Panthers could draft a new quarterback to begin their rebuild. In the event Newton ends up out of favor with Carolina, he could end up in favor with the Patriots. He’s a supreme talent, albeit with health concerns. If the Patriots traded for him, they get him on a one-year deal worth $18.6 million.
6. Philip Rivers, Chargers: (Free agency) He’s like Tom Brady Lite. He’s won a lot of games and put up some huge stats. But Rivers’ game is clearly on the decline, like Brady’s. Because Rivers doesn’t have the Super Bowl experience, he’ll be less desirable than Brady. But if the Patriots want someone like Brady, only cheaper, then Rivers ain’t a bad option.
5. Marcus Mariota, Titans: (Free agency) Mariota checks a lot of boxes. The Patriots don’t like spending big money on free agents, and Mariota shouldn’t cost much. The Patriots always admired how much Brady possessed the football and avoided turnovers, and Mariota has always done a nice job at that. New England often embraces the opportunity to revitalize a career; Belichick seems to prefer that to helping a player ride a high. So Mariota makes sense on paper after losing his starting job to Tannehill in 2019. He has health concerns, and he’s so risk-averse that he has limitations. But perhaps McDaniels’ offense would help justify Mariota’s status as a former second-overall pick.
4. Jameis Winston, Buccaneers: (Free agency) If Belichick is feeling like a challenge, he could try Winston. His 30 interceptions would be enough to deter any NFL team, but perhaps that will drive down his price. If the Patriots sign him to a short-term prove-it deal, Belichick and McDaniels could work with Winston to correct his mental and mechanical lapses. And maybe they’d finally help Winston be a good quarterback — and not just a good fantasy football quarterback.
3. Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers: (Trade) Brady would have to land in San Francisco, which doesn’t seem likely. But in the wild scenario where Brady joins the 49ers, Belichick would not hesitate to call GM John Lynch. That could land Garoppolo back in New England, where he started his career as a second-round pick in 2014.
2. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama: (Trade) As far as options go, Tagovailoa is a terrific one. His medicals seem to be clearing up after he ended his final college season with a hip injury. If not for Joe Burrow’s breakout season, Tagovailoa would be the No. 1 overall pick. The problem with Tagovailoa is that he might go No. 2 overall. If somehow he slips out of the top five picks, then the Patriots could move up to draft him, as unlikely as that sounds. But Tagovailoa is likely an enormously tempting prospect for the Patriots. An all-in trade for the Nick Saban product would be surprising — but fitting.
1. Tom Brady, QB, Patriots: (Free agency/Rostered) He has been their quarterback for 20 years. During that span, he has played 326 games in the postseason and regular season. Nine of those games were Super Bowls. Six of those Super Bowls ended in Patriots’ wins. Those wins came to a franchise that had zero titles prior to Brady’s arrival. Surely, Belichick will be tempted to work with another quarterback, particularly one in need of fixing, because a new quarterback might help the Belichick’s legacy. Success with someone not named Brady could help Belichick take more credit for the team’s wins over the last 20 years. But the truth is that the Patriots have no better option than Brady. So it will come down to whether he wants to play for them in 2020. He’ll likely make that decision over the next week.
Not impossible | Dark horses | Strong considerations
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