There is a decision by the quarterback that we are not talking much about this off season, although it will end up being the most significant. This is not an insult to Deshaun Watson or Russel Wilson, but unless any of them go to a team like the 49ers, who are legitimately a transcendent superstar of winning the Super Bowl, it will likely generate more in terms of attention and uniformity than media sales than anything else. (Wilson’s agent recently listed Cowboys, Saints, Bears and Raiders as favorite destinations; of the teams on that list that could even facilitate a negotiation involving multiple choices in the first round, are any of them just a Russell Wilson from a Super Bowl? )
The Patriots are without a quarterback at a fascinating time. The Cam Newton era, which, in another world and elsewhere in Newton’s career arc, may have been the perfect bridge for a new football brand besides Tom Brady, was not enough to propel New England into the postseason. . His “low” year consisted of a 7–9 record with wins over a handful of good teams and his first playoff spot lost in over a decade. It seems they are now looking for another option.
Kirby Lee / USA TODAY Sports (Mariota); Jasen Vinlove / USA TODAY Sports (Belichick); Kevin Jairaj / USA TODAY Sports (Garoppolo)
Bill Belichick is presumably getting more of his defensive players back next to a big playing field and one of the most important choices he had as a coach in New England. Who he chooses to operate under the center, or who chooses his, will tell you a lot about where the rest of the NFL is going for a few reasons.
Although I never argued that Brady’s Super Bowl championship in Tampa legitimized the idea that he was the brain behind the Patriot Way in New England, we all heard ex-Patriots during Super Bowl week echo that idea. It may not be a correct perception, but now it is a perception that exists in the collective psyche of the NFL. How does this affect, if at all, Belichick’s ability to continue to attract premium talent in affordable businesses with the idea that he can magically lift them into the playoffs with his brainpower? Does Brady’s success elsewhere reduce his old team to the totem pole of a potential free agent or player with a no-trade clause that can effectively force him out of town? While it is not surprising that the Patriots were not on anyone’s leaked list of favorite commercial destinations (Matt Stafford, supposedly, specifically asked not to be negotiated with New England), it is remarkable so far. This is linked to the fact that Patriots’ assistants and executives have been leaving the movement for some time and raises questions about how they can feel about the state of affairs.
If Belichick manages to score a prominent defender in the market, the PointsBet betting service recently listed Marcus Mariota as a favorite, followed by Newton, Jimmy Garoppolo, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jarrett Stidham, Andy Dalton, Mac Jones and Trey Lance university quarterbacks, and Derek Carr – How does the revival of the Patriots machine affect everyone’s plans and expectations in and around football? For example, there is a good chance that accounts will be going for it this offseason while Josh Allen is still on his rookie contract and coordinators Brian Daboll and Leslie Frasier are still in town. There is a good chance that the Jets are looking to recruit a new quarterback or trying to form a presence in Watson’s draws. There is a good chance that Dolphins will see themselves as one or two key players away from dominating this division for some time.
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Belichick is reestablishing the fact that he is the greatest coach in modern NFL history and reaching a quarterback suited to that notion – something that would affect not only AFC East, but our thoughts about the future of the potential Chiefs dynasty and beyond – almost it certainly matters more in the life of the lay NFL fan than one of those superstar quarterbacks moving to a new place that has sacrificed so much loot capital to obtain them that it will somehow deny the quarterback’s presence.
Belichick’s failure to do so would also speak volumes about what the NFL will look like in the next decade.