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Henry McKenna
AFC East Reporter
The New England Patriots need help at quarterback. It’s an SOS situation.
In 2023, the team clearly didn’t have enough firepower at any position. But it was most obvious at QB, where Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe came up well short of NFL standards.
One of them may reemerge in 2024 — particularly Jones, a first-round pick in 2021. But New England has the cap space and draft assets to bring in more competition. That’s exactly what they’ll do. The Patriots are in the mix to take a quarterback third overall. Even coach Jerod Mayo was willing to admit that.
But free agency is in March. The draft isn’t until April. The Patriots will almost surely add a veteran quarterback, even if they plan to draft one of the top QBs in this year’s class.
So which veteran might the Patriots pursue?
Please note that asterisked players are not slated to hit free agency, but are likely to become available through trade or cuts.
Developmental project
Justin Fields*: In this case, the Patriots would have to trade for Fields. The Bears have the No. 1 overall pick. If they stay in that spot, they will almost definitely take USC quarterback Caleb Williams. If they take Williams (or trade down a few spots and select a different QB), then they’ll move on from Fields. He’s simply too talented to sit as a backup. And while Fields’ career has been as erratic as Jones’, Fields has more upside, with mobility and arm strength beyond the Patriots QB. If the Patriots dealt for Fields, they would probably take a receiver or tackle at third overall — or New England would trade down.
Michael Irvin: Jerod Mayo will bring Patriots into the ‘new age’
Veteran starter/stopgap
Baker Mayfield: Mayfield just enjoyed the best season of his career, in part thanks to a good group of receivers. He’ll probably return to Tampa Bay. But there are a few connections between Mayfield and New England. While the Patriots did not name…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/patriots-should-add-veteran-qb-regardless-of-draft-plans-we-evaluate-11-options
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Publish date : 2024-02-14 17:31:19
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