One year later, no answer at QB
Pats still searching for Brady’s replacement
The way Robert Kraft tells the story, he didn’t see it coming. A year ago this week, on a Monday night, Tom Brady arrived at the Brookline home of the Patriots owner. He was on a mission.
While Kraft thought and privately hoped Brady was coming over to “try and put something together” on a contract that would keep his soon-to-be free agent in New England, the legendary quarterback had other plans.
Brady came over to cut the cord. He told Kraft he wanted to break away from the Patriots after 20 years, and six championships.
It was a fateful day, and a franchise-altering week in Patriots history. Brady tweeted out an official goodbye to New England the next morning.
Days later, he was a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.
The Patriots have been scrambling ever since, trying to figure out what comes next.
Farewell to the GOAT. Hello to uncertainty.
The Patriots moved on with a void at the most important position in football.
In the year since, Brady’s gone on to win another Super Bowl, while the Patriots lost their death grip on the AFC East, failed to make the playoffs for the first time in a dozen years, and have continued to tread water at quarterback.
Cam Newton wasn’t the answer in 2020. And now, with free agency on tap, Bill Belichick has brought Newton back for a sequel.
But is he merely a placeholder, an insurance policy for Belichick before the Patriots eventually land their man?
If so, for how long?
Will it be a month down the road, when they select a quarterback prospect in the draft they’ll ultimately want to take over after a period of development?
Or, will Newton be the No. 1 just for however long it takes the 49ers to get their desired upgrade at quarterback, and deal Jimmy Garoppolo?
Being a realist, the latter may never happen. Or, the cards may not fall in the Patriots direction for one of the quarterbacks not currently available, be it Jimmy G or Gardner Minshew, to break free. Then what?
Another year of Newton one hopping throws?
So here we are, at the year anniversary of Brady’s departure, still unsure about the position, and still without a bona fide successor.
For now, Newton has the Patriots covered. He’s the frontman, the quarterback in place when they’re pitching free agent targets at wide receiver and tight end over the next few days with the tampering period set to commence.
The former NFL MVP still has a little cachet around the league with his peers even if injuries have impacted his ability to throw the football.
The Patriots took a gamble on him last year, hoping he could recapture his past form. While Newton added a running dimension, rushing for 592 yards and 12 touchdowns, picking up 55 first downs with his legs, he was hugely inconsistent throwing the football.
He threw eight touchdowns and 10 picks, along with a ton of worm burners that didn’t reach the target. The fear is even with upgrades at the skill positions, the bottom line remains the same: Newton can’t throw.
“I think when they brought Cam in last year, there was greater optimism at that point, than there is now,” said SiriusXM NFL analyst Solomon Wilcots, “but then (fans) saw him play.”
Belichick went on record saying the Patriots didn’t have the cap space to shop last year.
This year, he does. So he gave Newton a raise, but not one that would prevent him from spending on another quarterback. In other words, school’s still out on the quarterback position.
Either Belichick didn’t like the pool of free agent quarterbacks (Mitch Trubisky, Jacoby Brissett, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tyrod Taylor), or didn’t want to overpay for someone in this group. With the exception of Brissett, all of these quarterbacks would have to come in and learn the system in what looks like another virtual offseason.
All of the above will officially be available Wednesday, but none of them are the answer.
So now what?
Re-stock and reload in the other positions of need, and hope something else shakes out?
Because right now, the quarterback position, with Newton, Jarrett Stidham and Jake Dolegala, is no better than when Brady walked out the door a year ago.
“It’s probably ranked 30th in the league. Like Cam said, it’s not 32. But it’s right near the bottom of the league,” said Wilcots. “But, so is the talent surrounding him. I think that’s part of it. Even if they bring in Jimmy G, they still gotta get tight ends, they still gotta get receivers.
“As much as selling the other players on who the quarterback is,” he went on, “how about trying to sell whatever quarterback they’re trying to get to come in there, on the talent around him? It’s not much of a sell right now.”
That’s one of the reasons Brady showed up at Kraft’s house a year ago and said goodbye.
Maybe the answers will come in the coming weeks. Maybe there is a greater plan. But for now, there’s only questions.