Alex van pelt was named offensive coordinator for the new england patriots on thursday, according to several outlets. Van pelt’s last coaching job was with the cleveland browns, where he was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Van pelt started his career with the browns on the west coast, which he will likely bring to new england. A west coast offense is a model that relies on the quarterback lining up under center and using a combination of three-step and five-step drops to make plays. A qb is best suited to a west coast system if he has solid footwork and accuracy.
A west coast qb must be able to throw throws while rolling out, but scrambling ability is not a requirement. the patriots are looking for a qb this offseason. Understanding van pelt’s method makes it much easier to narrow down new england’s options at quarterback.
Although new england may draft a QB in the nfl draft, there are a variety of free agency options.
1. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay buccaneers baker mayfield is a versatile, strong qb with a good arm. In the 2023 regular season, he threw 28 touchdowns to ten interceptions, leading his team past the defending nfc champion philadelphia eagles in the 2024 wild-card game before falling short to the detriot lions. Mayfield has shown that he can excel in van pelt’s west coast scheme, threw for 26 touchdowns to eight interceptions in 2020 when the two were in cleveland, but he has a drawback: his high price tag.
The buccaneers may be able to pay him the right amount — which could be close to $40 million per season — but the patriots certainly aren’t. Mayo is just getting used to his new role as head coach. It’s a risky move to pull the trigger on a deal as big as this for a qb who is coming off a promising year.
Even then, mayfield may not even want to leave tampa bay in the first place, which would render new england’s offer irrelevant. It would be exciting to see mayfield with the patriots in the 2024 season, but a lot of dominoes would have to fall in the right direction for it to happen.
2. Commanders in washington, Jacoby Brissett at first glance, putting Brissett in as the starting qb would be foolish. He doesn’t have the same skill as the other options, and he’s already 31 years old, implying that his already mediocre form is about to falter.
Van pelt’s season with the nfl in 2022 was promising, with 14 total touchdowns and six interceptions in 11 starts, and he spent one year in new england, 2016; however, the 31 other teams aren’t considering him as a starting quarterback. With a deal like brissett, the most important thing to remember is that it will not be made in a vacuum. The qb is football’s most expensive position. If the patriots sign brissett for a relatively small amount, it will open the door to multiple splash moves at wide receiver, running back, and tackle.
If brock purdy’s 49ers have taught us anything, it’s that a normally unflattering qb can be elevated to a ridiculously high level if there are good pieces around him. brissett is the cheap, risky option that seems genius if it pans out, but horrendous if it fails. Mayo is apprehensive about taking a course this unexpected in his first year of coaching, but he will be considering all options.
3. Kirk cousins, Minnesota Vikings, has the experience and leadership that any team needs in a qb, but he may not have the confidence to play at a high level in the nfl. By the time the 2024 nfl season begins, cousins will be 36 years old, and he will be coming off of a torn achilles injury.
It’s easy to bet on an old qb, but betting on an older, recently injured qb is incredibly risky, especially because cousins would not have the cheap price tag offered by Brissett. Cousins has a number of advantages. He is the most established qb out of brissett and mayfield, and although he does not have direct contact with van pelt, he did gain some experience with a west coast offense in 2012 and 2013 under former commanders head coach mike shanahan.
Van pelt’s offense is noticeably different from that of cousins, and he is accustomed to throwing to all-pro vikings receiver justin jefferson on a daily basis, while the patriots haven’t signed a 1,000 yard receiver since Julian Edelman in 2019. Cousins to the patriots would require a lot of adaptation and off-field training with coaches and players. The patriots would not be apprehensive to trust him on his game, but there are just a lot of red flags at this point in the offseason.