Tom Brady has been a constant in the AFC East for the last 20 years, but that’s going to change in 2020.
Brady announced Tuesday that he is ready to take his football talents elsewhere; all signs point to a deal with Tampa Bay. He and the Patriots could not come to an agreement that met both sides’ desires, so instead of trying to work it out the two ultimately decided it was time to move on from each other.
With Brady now out of the AFC East, Jets quarterback Sam Darnold is the longest-tenured starting QB in the division. He made his first start in Week 1, 2018 against the Detroit Lions.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen has started more games in his career with 27 compared to Darnold’s 26. That’s because Darnold has missed six games in his first two seasons with various injuries and illnesses. However, Darnold was the one to start in the NFL right away. Allen didn’t make his first career start in the NFL until Week 2, 2018 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Numbers-wise, Darnold and Allen are pretty close. Darnold has thrown for 5,889 yards, 36 touchdowns and 28 interceptions with a 59.9 percent completion percentage. Allen has thrown for 5,163 yards, 30 touchdowns, 21 interceptions and has a 56.3 percent completion percentage. Allen also has 17 rushing touchdowns.
These two quarterbacks are now the faces of the AFC East with Brady gone. The Patriots have a variety of different ways they can go at quarterback, while the Dolphins will more than likely find their next quarterback in the upcoming draft.
It’s crazy to think two years after being drafted that Darnold and Allen are the best and most senior quarterbacks in the division now.