The New England Patriots attacked Cam Newton in its first season after Tom Brady, and the results were worrying: amid a weakened support cast, Newton and Co. struggled to finish 7-9, with the team losing the playoffs by first time in 12 years. Now, with the 2021 NFL off-season approaching the official kickoff, the Pats are literally exploring almost every way to fix their quarterback situation. According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, this includes calling all QB veterans who say they are available.
“Bill Belichick and the Patriots, looking for an upgrade in position, had conversations about all potential commercial targets in the league,” reports Howe. “(If) a quarterback was perceived to be available, the Patriots took the phone.”
New England was “disciplined” in its approach, Howe adds, noting that the Patriots talked to Lions and Eagles about Matthew Stafford and Carson Wentz, respectively, but never engaged in serious negotiations because of the high prices. The team is also not opposed to reinstating Newton, by Howe. But their focus now, with the free agency in less than a month, is to turn over each stone to find a potential replacement, whether on the open market or via trade.
Full of wage cap space for 2021, the Patriots can conceivably pay for almost any available QB, as long as they are willing to pay. Among the top commercial candidates, they discussed, according to Howe: the Texans ‘Deshaun Watson, the Jets’ Sam Darnold, the Raiders ‘Marcus Mariota and the 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo, who spent the first four seasons of his career in New England . As for free agents, Howe lists Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton, Tyrod Taylor and Mitchell Trubisky as names that could attract the Patriots’ interest in case the Pats make another free agent bet on the position.