SPORTS E3 USA TODAY ❚ WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2020 ❚ 3C
So, what now for coach Bill Belichick
and the Patriots?
Tom Brady announced Tuesday that
he would be moving on and ending his
historic, 20-year run with the team that
brought six Super Bowl championships
as its quarterback.
Now, a dynasty needs to find a re-
placement for arguably the greatest
quarterback of all time.
Let’s first look at what’s on the roster,
which isn’t entirely promising.
The only quarterbacks left are Cody
Kessler and Jarrett Stidham – a 23-year-
old fourth-round draft pick (No. 133
overall) in 2019.
Stidham played sparingly this season
and only in blowouts. He appeared in
just three games and completed two of
his four passes for 14 yards. In a Week 3
game against the Jets, Brady helped
give New England a 23-point lead and
left the game early in the fourth quarter.
Stidham came in for mop-up duty. Four
plays later, he threw a pick-six to Jets
safety Jamal Adams. Brady returned to
play the next series.
Kessler is a veteran journeyman
backup who is signed through the 2020
season. He will enter his fifth season
and will turn 27 in May.
That brings us to free agency and
trades.
Perhaps the best fit is a player who is
already on another team: Andy Dalton
of the Bengals. Because Cincinnati
holds the No. 1 overall selection in the
NFL draft and is widely expected to take
LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, that
leaves the Bengals with an asset – and
someone whose $17.7 million cap hit
makes him expendable. New England
could look to swing a trade with Dalton,
the 32-year-old veteran who will be en-
tering his 10th season.
The winningest quarterback in Ben-
gals franchise history, Dalton has plenty
of experience, possesses above-average
pocket awareness and uses efficient and
clean mechanics to throw the ball out of
a quick release.
These are all traits that Belichick
adored about Brady. Even in the seasons
when New England’s offensive line was
a weakness, the Patriots didn’t regress
thanks to Brady’s ability to dial up quick
passes to get the ball in his playmakers’
hands.
Dalton does have some limitations,
however, in his arm strength and poten-
tial inability to elevate a team that has
glaring holes on its offensive roster.
The Patriots’ roster – taking quarter-
back out of the equation – has sizable
shortcomings at receiver and tight end.
Still, Dalton offers plenty for Belichick to
work with in Dalton to make him a de-
pendable bridge option for the future.Another intriguing trade option be-
came officially available just hours after
Brady made his announcement. The
Panthers said they had met with veter-
an passer Cam Newton and his repre-
sentatives and had given him permis-
sion to seek a trade, likely indicating the
end of his nine-year run with the fran-
chise.
The medical evaluations would need
to reveal a clean bill of health for a trade
to materialize, but Newton would pre-
sent an intriguing blend of arm
strength, mobility and an ability to ex-
tend plays that Belichick has never had
during his time in New England.
One last trade possibility is Nick
Foles, though there might be some im-
pediments to this scenario. The Jaguars
haven’t made any announcementsabout the veteran’s standing, but after
the successful rookie season Gardner
Minshew had in Jacksonville, the team
might move with the sixth-round pick
as the starter. That would leave Foles,
who signed a four-year, $88 million con-
tract with the Jaguars last offseason, as
an expensive backup and possible trade
candidate.
The contract might give Belichick
pause, but the bigger issue is that Foles’
play has been widely inconsistent over
the past couple of seasons.
Former Chargers quarterback Philip
Rivers is a free agent, but multiple re-
ports have linked him to the Colts, so he
might not be a viable option.
Teddy Bridgewater seemed like he
would’ve fit, but reports are that he is
set to sign with the Panthers.
That leaves Jameis Winston. He is
just 26 years old with five years of expe-
rience as the Buccaneers’ starter and on
the open market as a free agent. The
No. 1 pick in the 2015 NFL draft, Winston
is quite talented and can make the
throws required in New England’s of-
fense.
But Belichick values ball protection.
Winston’s propensity for turnovers
would make this an odd fit. Winston has
committed 111 total turnovers in his five
seasons – more than any player during
that span – and had 30 interceptions
last season. It’s hard to envision Belich-
ick signing up for that.
Lastly, there’s the draft.
New England could use one of its
picks on a quarterback, though it’s
probably unlikely the team unearths its
long-term replacement here. The Patri-
ots’ early-round selections include No.
23 overall in the first round and Nos. 87,
98 and 100 in the third round.
Whether his end with the Patriots
was going to be like this or through re-
tirement, Brady was always going to
move on from New England one day.
The Patriots are fortunate, though, that
they have plenty of options to replace
him.Evaluating Patriots’ options for QB
Lorenzo Reyes
USA TODAY
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick now will spend his offseason in search of a
starting quarterback for the 2020 season. DAVID BUTLER II/USA TODAY SPORTSdefensive tackle DeForest Buckner.
“It’s the quarterback position,” Irsay
said before the start of the NFL scouting
combine. “The three of us will make the
call. It’s too big of a decision. All options
are on the table.”
The Colts ended up going with the
option that seemed obvious all along.
Rivers, the San Diego legend who is
sixth on the NFL’s all-time passing yards
list, is coming off a disappointing sea-
son. Battered behind a subpar offensive
line, Rivers threw 23 touchdown passes
and 20 interceptions, and at the age of
38, it’s fair to wonder how much good
football Rivers has left in him.
On the other side of the coin, Rivers
instantly upgrades two areas where
Brissett struggled last season. The vet-
eran quarterback completed 66% of his
passes and threw for 4,615 yards at an
average of 7.8 yards per attempt, far
above Brissett’s numbers of 60.9% and
6.6 yards per attempt, numbers that
were far worse in the second half of the
season.
The biggest difference between the
two is that Brissett is famously risk-
averse, reluctant to pull the trigger in an
effort to protect the football, and Rivers
has always had a bit of a gunslinger’s
mentality, leading the NFL in intercep-
tions twice.
Indianapolis clearly believes Rivers
can still play and that he’ll bounce back
for a franchise that seems tailor-made
for him. He has a good relationship with
Reich, who coached him for three sea-
sons in San Diego, and the Colts have
one of the league’s best offensive lines,
presumably taking pressure off of the
statuesque Rivers.
Three weeks ago, at the NFL scouting
combine, the Colts were still saying that
anything was possible at the quarter-
back position. Irsay, Ballard and Reich
all issued defenses of the way Brissett
played in a disappointing audition as
the full-time starter last season, while
repeatedly saying they were open to
anything.
In all likelihood, signing Rivers will
not necessarily keep the Colts from
drafting a quarterback in April, al-
though it will be more difficult now that
Indianapolis no longer has a first-round
pick. At the age of 38, Rivers is nearing
the end of his career, but signing himgives Indianapolis a player in place who
might be capable of leading the Colts to
the playoffs while they search for a
young franchise quarterback over the
next couple of years.
Brees’s deal is for two years, $50 mil-
lion, a person with knowledge of the
deal confirmed to USA TODAY. The per-
son spoke on condition of anonymity
because they were not authorized to re-
veal terms of the agreement. The NFLNetwork was first to report the deal.
Brees, 41, stated in February that he
intended to return for a 20th season in
the NFL and made it clear he planned to
do so with the Saints.
The move further solidifies the
Saints’ quarterback spot, which months
ago looked to be in flux. The team gave
Taysom Hill a first-round tender, likely
positioning him as Brees’ backup.
Brees earned his 13th Pro Bowl selec-
tion last season despite missing five
games with a thumb injury, throwing for
2,979 yards and 27 touchdowns with
just four interceptions.
Bridgewater’s contract is expected to
be for three years and $60 million, ac-
cording to multiple reports. At 27, he is
poised to return to a starting role for the
first time since he led the Vikings in the
2015 season. In August 2016, he suffered
a torn anterior cruciate ligament and
suffered other structural damage in a
non-contact knee injury. He missed the
entirety of the season and played in only
one game in 2017.
The move follows the Panthers’ an-
nouncement earlier Tuesday that they
would allow incumbent starter Cam
Newton to seek a trade. Newton pushed
back against the team, saying on Insta-
gram that the team had tried to “manip-
ulate the narrative” and contending that
he had “never asked” to be moved.
“Stop with the word play!!” Newton
wrote in a comment using special char-
acters from his verified Instagram ac-
count, in response to the Panthers’ post.
“I never asked for it!! There is no dodg-
ing this one. I love the Panthers to death
and will always love you guys!! Please do
not try and play me, or manipulate the
narrative and act like I wanted this; you
forced me into this!!”
This came just minutes after the
franchise issued a news release that
said it met with Newton and his repre-
sentatives on Tuesday and gave permis-
sion for Newton to seek a trade.Contributing: Michael Middlehurst-
SchwartzPhilip Rivers is joining a Colts team that went 7-9 last season.
DENNY MEDLEY/USA TODAY SPORTSRivers
Continued from Page 1C
- needless to say, this seemed tantaliz-
ing.
The Buccaneers, too, want to revive
their fan base. They feature a pair of Pro
Bowl receivers (Mike Evans, Chris God-
win) and a coach, anti-Belichickian
Bruce Arians, who wants to sling it.
Florida also has no state income tax.
Plenty to like here ... even in a division
where the Saints project as the bullies to
beat.
In Tampa, Brady would work under
the guidance of Arians, who sharply
contrasts Belichick with his self-de-
scribed “easygoing demeanor.”
The Buccaneers’ top-ranked offense
(302.8 yards per game) also returns
plenty of assets, including Pro Bowl
wide receivers Chris Godwin and Mike
Evans. Arians, however, has typically
favored strong-armed passers in his “no
risk it, no biscuit” downfield passing at-
tack and might need to adjust for Bradyand his quick-trigger approach.
Jameis Winston, who served as the
Buccaneers’ starter since being selected
with the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NFL draft,
is a free agent.
The move is a significant splash for a
franchise primarily known for its turbu-
lent early years, in which it routinely
finished with one of the league’s worst
records.
The Buccaneers have the NFL’s sec-
ond-longest active playoff drought, hav-
ing not made the postseason since- Since that time, Brady has won
three Super Bowls and made 11 postsea-
son appearances, missing out in 2008
when he was sidelined for the season by
a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Tampa will host the Super Bowl in
2020 as the Buccaneers look to become
the first NFL team to win the Lombardi
Trophy on their home field.
Any regular-season rematch with the
Patriots will not occur until 2021, when
the Buccaneers are scheduled to visit
Gillette Stadium.Contributing: Nate DavisBucs
Continued from Page 1C