The New England Patriots are reportedly open to a couple of possibilities in their effort to locate a new starting quarterback for 2024 and beyond.
According to Chad Graff of The Athletic, the “most likely” route is for New England to pick out a quarterback with the No. three usual choose in the 2024 NFL draft, however the Pats are “exploring all options” when it comes to upgrading the quarterback position.
One plausible go for the Patriots to consider is a change for Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields, who is a change candidate as the Bears weigh whether or not to preserve him or deal him and then use the No. 1 overall pick in the draft on a quarterback like USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye or LSU’s Jayden DanielsSince future Hall of Famer Tom Brady departed New England following the 2019 season, the Patriots have been searching for answers at quarterback, and their group success has been fleeting at quality because of it.
The Pats went 7-9 in their one season with Cam Newton underneath center, which led to them selecting Mac Jones with the No. 15 overall select in the 2021 NFL draft out of Alabama.
While the group surpassed expectations to some degree at some stage in Jones’ rookie season by going 10-7 and attaining the playoffs, they have not been lower back since.
Jones took a noticeable step back in 2022, and the Patriots completed 8-9. Then, Jones and the team as a whole bottomed out final season.
The Patriots went 4-13, which used to be their worst record all through head educate Bill Belichick’s 24-year tenure with the team, and it led to Belichick and the Pats at the same time agreeing to section ways.
Jones went 2-9 as a starter in 2023, and he accomplished 64.9 percent of his passes for 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in what was the worst yr of his profession statistically.
Of course, Jones wasn’t helped by means of a entire and utter lack of weapons, but he did not show ample flashes regardless, which is why he was once benched for Bailey Zappe and is rather unlikely to begin for the Pats in 2024.New England has a couple of paths it can discover when it comes to finding its subsequent QB, such as a trade, the draft or a free-agent signing.
Fields is the important viable exchange candidate at quarterback, and there is masses of notion that he has a ton of untapped plausible inside him.
The soon-to-be 25-year-old signal-caller ignored four video games due to damage in 2023, but he nevertheless set career marks with five wins as a starter, a completion proportion of 61.4 percentage and 2,562 passing yards. He additionally threw sixteen landing passes in contrast to nine interceptions and rushed for 657 yards and 4 scores.
Fields would bring lower back the rushing danger that Newton gave the Patriots for one season, however he also has a ways extra upside as a passer.
If the Patriots would as a substitute start from scratch at quarterback, they can either take one at No. 3 average in the draft or try to exchange up to the No. 1 or No. two spot.
Williams, Maye and Daniels are broadly viewed as surefire excessive choices in the draft, and any of them would give the Pats a high-ceiling quarterback they can construct around.
Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. are different quarterbacks the Patriots should goal as nicely they trade down.
On the free-agent front, longtime Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is the clear fantastic option, even though he is 35 years historical and coming off a torn AchillesCousins used to be having an MVP-caliber season earlier than getting injured in 2023, though, as the four-time Pro Bowler performed 69.5 percent of his passes for 2,331 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions in just eight games.
Baker Mayfield is some other free agent who would signify an upgrade for New England, as he resurrected his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023, finishing 64.3 percentage of his passes for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Mayfield was once named a Pro Bowler for the first time, and the Bucs both won the NFC South and won a playoff game.
Any other free-agent quarterback would in all likelihood be a stopgap option, consisting of Gardner Minshew, Ryan Tannehill, Jameis Winston and Jacoby Brissett.
The Patriots would be hard-pressed to get worse quarterback play in 2024 than they did in 2023, and the appropriate information for them is they will have no shortage of picks when it comes to discovering Jones’ alternative
