Tom Brady will be a free agent in 2020. If the New England Patriots do decide to move on from him, who could be a suitable replacement for him this fall?
The New England Patriots will let Tom Brady test free agency this spring.
It’s a bold move for the Patriots, considering the apparent lack of a backup plan if TB12 takes on a new home address. Brady has spent his entire 20-year NFL career with the Patriots but may not get to play football until he’s 45 years old staying in Foxborough. Brady was only a league-average quarterback last year at 42 years old.
Ultimately, we should expect Brady to return to One Patriot Place in 2020 because the New England infrastructure will be able to get the most out of him in the twilight of his career. By staying in New England, he’ll surely be on a playoff-caliber team until he decides to hang up the spikes.
But if the Patriots do let Brady walk away for nothing this spring after 20 years of service, here are a few candidates who could attempt to replace him as the Patriots’ starting quarterback.
Andy Dalton
Though much-maligned as a perceived low-end starting quarterback, Andy Dalton had an solid nine-year career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He made it to three Pro Bowls and led the Bengals to playoff berths in each of his first five seasons out of TCU. Dalton turns 33 years old midway through next season and should still have another six years of quality ball left in the tank.
New England wouldn’t have to pay a ton to land him, as we all expect the Bengals to part ways with their former second-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft so they can draft Joe Burrow No. 1 overall.
Marcus Mariota
Like Dalton, we expect Marcus Mariota has played his last game for the team that drafted him. Mariota was the former No. 2 overall pick out of Oregon by the Tennessee Titans in 2015 NFL Draft. Though the Titans made the AFC playoffs a few times, Mariota was never the reason Tennessee clinched a playoff berth. He has largely underwhelmed since winning the Heisman.
So he too will be undervalued heading into free agency. Teams like the Chicago Bears might have an interest in him, but parting ways with his former college coach in Mark Helfrich doesn’t land well. Mariota is a soft-spoken guy who follows instructions and is a great teammate. He fits the prototype of a Patriots player. Josh McDaniels can certainly cater his offense around him for sure.
Jarrett Stidham
From a talent standpoint, Stidham has a lot to offer. He was a prize recruit by Art Briles at Baylor before that program went to hell. Despite playing in an up-tempo spread that didn’t fit him at Auburn, Stidham led the Tigers to an SEC West division title in 2017.
If the Patriots go with Stidham in 2020, it means Bill Belichick has his eyes on the 2021 NFL Draft to take Brady’s long-term successor.
Jordan Love
If there is any quarterback expected to go in the first two rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft who fits the Patriots’ mantra, then it has to be Jordan Love out of Utah State. New England has no shot at Burrow, Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa or Oregon’s Justin Herbert unless Belichick gives up the farm to move up for them. He won’t and Love could be in the mix for them in the teens to early 20s.
While he did throw a bunch of picks at Utah State, Love underwent a coaching regime change during his last year in school, as Matt Wells’ staff left for Texas Tech. Given his ability to extend plays with his legs, Love offers NFL teams a lot of what Mariota did coming out of Oregon six years ago. Love has the chance to be New England’s next Jimmy Garoppolo.