The New England Patriots are in the market for a starting quarterback for the first time in almost two decades. Tom Brady was the team's franchise quarterback for 20 years, but with him now on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Patriots' search for his successor now becomes a reality.
The Patriots have Jarrett Stidham on their roster, and they may give the second-year QB a chance to prove himself in 2020. But it always seemed likely that the team would bring in a younger quarterback to compete with him and give the team options at the position.
Download the MyTeams app for the latest Patriots news and analysis
That's exactly what the team is planning on doing, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. In a recent appearance on "NFL Total Access," Rapoport spoke of the Patriots taking a quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft as a certainty.
Everybody knows that they're going to take a quarterback. And, of course, when they released Cody Kessler, it opened up a spot in their quarterback room. They are going to select someone. Obviously, it does get complicated. They don't have a second-round pick. So it seems to be, pick someone in the first round or pick someone in the mid-rounds. There's really no in-between for the Patriots.
Listen and subscribe to Phil Perry's Next Pats Podcast here:
New England Patriots
Rapoport also pointed out that because the Patriots have had Tom Brady for so long, teams haven't had to see what the Patriots do when targeting a top-tier quarterback.
No one has really seen what the Patriots look for in a top-flight quarterback. It's been so long, really since Jimmy Garoppolo, since they used a premium pick on a quarterback and that's why there's so much intrigue surrounding them and who they actually like.
It's possible that the Patriots could target a quarterback early. Rapoport mentioned that Tua Tagovailoa and Jordan Love could be options if either ends up slipping in the draft.
That said, it is worth noting that Bill Belichick has drafted 11 quarterbacks during his time with the Patriots and none were selected before Jimmy Garoppolo, who went with the 64th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. That does have something to do with Brady, but it also is telling that the Patriots have mostly waited to take passers -- including Brady, who was notable a sixth-round pick.
Belichick has specific traits that he looks for when scouting a quarterback. So, perhaps he doesn't care about when the player is selected so long as they check off all the boxes on his list.
We'll soon see what the Patriots end up doing and which strategy they prefer. The only certain thing right now is that there are options on the table for the Patriots as they look to replace the greatest quarterback to ever play.