Tom Brady and the Patriots Have to Part Ways Someday. Is It Too Soon?

If the Patriots do move on from Brady, it is not immediately clear who would become their starting quarterback. The rookie Jarrett Stidham has won some praise for his practice-field play, but it’s a long way from there to an N.F.L. game. A trade or free-agent signing could bring a veteran to town for a few years, or a young quarterback who hasn’t gotten his chance. The problem is, all of those are speculative choices; no team is going to let a proven quarterback in his prime get away.

A decent number of Patriots fans think the team made a mistake trading away Jimmy Garoppolo: He fared well filling in for Brady during the Deflategate suspension in 2017, but with Brady still playing well, the team couldn’t commit to Garoppolo as the starter in the near future.

Now Garoppolo is starting for the San Francisco 49ers, who will host the Minnesota Vikings in a playoff game on Saturday.

The Patriots’ 12-4 regular-season record means that barring a trade, they will draft near the bottom of the first round, as usual, so the elite quarterback prospects like Joe Burrow of Louisiana State and Tua Tagovailoa of Alabama will be well out of range.

Then there’s the question of what will happen to Brady if his time in New England is up. For years, he was looked on enviously by nearly every other team. But will one of them want a 42-year-old player with a high profile who might not relish a role as a temp, backup or mentor?

Could the Browns, after a disastrous season, be looking for a splashy signing? Is time up for Philip Rivers with the Chargers? How about Carolina, where Cam Newton got hurt and Kyle Allen did not light up the field?

Seeing Brady in another uniform no doubt would cause anguish in New England, especially if there is not a proper heir in place.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/07/sports/football/tom-brady-new-england-patriots.html?emc=rss&partner=rss