With Cam Newton joining the Patriots, who will be New England’s next starting quarterback?
Tom Brady isn’t the only successful Patriots quarterback of the last three decades. Yes, he led New England to six Super Bowls, but the organization has managed to get solid production from the quarterback position for the past 27 years even when Brady wasn’t in the game. Even from those you might not expect.
Before Brady, there was Drew Bledsoe, who led the league in completions in 1994 and 1996 and threw for an NFL high 4,555 yards in ’94. When Brady was injured in 2008, Matt Cassel took over and had perhaps the best season of his career. Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett have filtered through the Patriots system and have found success for other teams.
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Heck, even receiver Julian Edelman has been perfect as a signal-caller, completing all four of his passes, throwing a touchdown, and recording a QB rating of 158.3. So yeah, New England knows how to develop successful quarterbacks. It’s not just Brady.
This year, though, will be different. Brady is gone to Tampa Bay. Cam Newton has signed. There is one unknown commodity, one formerly great QB whose future is unstable, one 34-year-old backup quarterback, and two college free agents who are vying for the starting position. Can offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels find another way to get the best out of his offensive leader? Can Belichick win his first league championship with somebody not named Brady?
It’s unclear but at least three quarterbacks will get the opportunity to prove to the New England coaching staff that they can be the man to procure another Super Bowl ring for the franchise (for what it’s worth, that signal-caller will have to get through the Ravens on Nov. 15 in Foxborough). Undrafted free agents Brian Lewerke and J’Mar Smith notwithstanding, let’s take a look at the three quarterbacks New England currently has on its roster that could actually win the job.
Cam Newton: The biggest NFL storyline of the past several weeks was the Patriots’ surprising decision to sign Newton. Although Newton is a former MVP with all kinds of talent in his right arm and his legs, the three-time Pro Bowler didn’t draw much interest in the free agent market after missing 14 games in 2019 with a foot injury (and two games the year before that with a hurt shoulder). There were even reports that Newton would consider a backup role if need be. Yet the Patriots swooped in and signed him this week to a complete lowball deal that guarantees him only $550,00 with a maximum of $7.5 million. Still, Newton should be the betting favorite to win the starting job, and if he’s anywhere close to the version of Newton we’ve seen in the past, he could be awfully effective for New England. Could he help the Patriots to a Super Bowl appearance? Well, he did it in Carolina. Why couldn’t he manage the same under the best coach in NFL history?
How has Newton fared against the Ravens?: He’s 1-1 in his career, completing 64.8 percent of his passes for 416 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Can Newton actually win this job?: “He’s headed in the right direction,” former Panthers and current Redskins coach Ron Rivera told 670 The Score in Chicago. “I mean, he’s probably about as healthy as it gets from what I’ve seen on video. I think he’s ready to bust out. I would never bet against the young man, that’s for sure.”
Jarrett Stidham: Before the Newton signing, Stidham had to like his chances to earn the starting job. Despite only performing mop-up duty in three games last year, completing 2 of 4 passes for 14 yards and an interception in his rookie year, Stidham, who is eight years younger than Newton, still could be the long-term solution for New England at quarterback. But the pandemic surely isn’t helping his development as a signal-caller, and he might benefit from another season of watching a top-notch (or a formerly top-notch) quarterback run the offense. Since Newton is only on a one-year deal, he could play well, demand an eight-figure contract for 2021 that New England won’t want to touch and leave the Patriots in Stidham’s hands. Or New England could go into more of a hybrid scenario for 2020. One AFC East coach told ESPN he thinks the Patriots could use all three quarterbacks regularly with Newton “perhaps as the wild card.” Which would then mean Stidham would be the starter? Who knows? But the anonymous coach did have this to say: “I actually don’t see [Newton] starting Week 1 in the offense … I know one thing for a fact: The Patriots love Jarrett Stidham.”
How has Stidham fared against the Ravens?: He’s never played vs. Baltimore, but he did watch Brady go 30-for-46 for 285 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the Ravens’ 37-20 victory in Week 9 that gave New England its first loss of 2019.
Can Stidham actually win this job?: “To me, the best thing for Stiddy was he had to go against our defense every week. He didn’t have it easy,” Patriots safety Devin McCourtey said in March on his Double Coverage Podcast. “I love his poise. I would be faking a blitz sometimes and we’d make eye contact and he’d just start smiling and laughing. To me, there were weeks where he was just on point. And those were some of our best weeks as a defense, mainly because Stiddy ate us up in practice leading up to the game.”
Brian Hoyer: The biggest advantage for Hoyer over his two colleagues is that he’s been in the New England system for five of his 11 seasons in the NFL. He’s played 23 contests as a Patriot, but he’s never started a game. He probably won’t this year either since, at the moment, it seems he’s the clear No. 3 quarterback (if he makes the team at all). But Hoyer has also had success in the league, particularly with the Browns in 2014 and the Texans in 2015. Combined during those two seasons, he had a 12-10 record, completed 57.7 percent of his passes for an average of 237.3 yards per game, and threw 31 touchdowns vs. 20 interceptions—it’s not spectacular, but it’s solid enough. Hoyer and Stidham had worked together this offseason and apparently get along, but remember, Stidham beat out Hoyer for the No. 2 job behind Brady last year. It stands to reason Stidham will only be better in 2020. It’s no sure thing that Hoyer will be.
How has Hoyer fared against the Ravens?: Hoyer has played 69 games during his career. Only one of those came against Baltimore. But he had a strong performance. Starting for the Browns in Week 3 of the 2015 season, Hoyer completed 21 of 25 passes for 290 yards and a touchdown during Baltimore’s comeback 23-21 victory.
Can Hoyer actually win this job?: “If you have a veteran quarterback who has been in the system, understands what to expect, what an NFL season is like … you’re gonna want to go with a guy who has the veteran leadership (and) also has what it takes to be in that building,” former Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich said, via FanSided. “Look, when you’re a second-year player, you really don’t realize what a season’s like as a starter. You don’t understand what it’s going to take, and not having an offseason does not help. So, Brian Hoyer will be the starter Week 1.” It should be noted, of course, that Ninkovich said that in May, long before Newton signed with New England.
In reality, this is Newton’s job to lose, particularly if he’s healthy. And if he has left behind his shoulder and foot problems, he could become the best quarterback in AFC East and one of the best in the conference. Stidham might be the future of the organization. But Newton could be the present that continues the winning legacy forged by Brady.
NFL Analyst
Josh Katzowitz is a longtime sports writer who covers boxing for Forbes and who previously reported on the NFL for CBSSports.com. His work has also appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. He’s currently a writer and editor at the Daily Dot. His work has been noted twice in the Best American Sports Writing book series.