The 49ers and Patriots sent big shockwaves around the NFL yesterday when the Patriots shipped their backup QB and Brady successor, Jimmy Garoppolo, to the 49ers for a second-round draft pick. And that means Tom Brady is now the only quarterback on the roster for the Patriots. What’s even more concerning is whether or not there’s an answer to get a backup QB to be the heir when Brady does retire.
While many are focusing on the 49ers perhaps getting their quarterback of the future, what may be even more concerning is whether or not the Patriots have a plan for their future and especially at the quarterback position. We know Tom Brady is not going to play forever, but the Patriots are believing that Brady is now going to play into his 50s. Not sure I want to believe that he’ll play that long, much less get into his late 40s and still playing.
Short-Term Answers for the Patriots
There’s plenty of short-term answers for the Patriots. The most likely thing they’ll do is sign quarterback Brian Hoyer, whom the 49ers cut after acquiring Garoppolo. He was actually going to be part of that deal but he was swapped out for a pick and the Niners just got rid of him after that. For Hoyer, a reunion with the Patriots would make sense. He knows the system, he knows the coaches, and he knows how to play the backup position behind the best quarterback in all of football.
Another quarterback they may consider taking as a backup is Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick has long hoped to get on a team and has continued to make news as a result of starting the national anthem protest and then getting condemned by Trump for doing it, despite exercising his free speech. Kaepernick has recently filed a lawsuit believing all 32 NFL owners are colluding against him. But if the Patriots sign him and they might have to at this point, that collusion goes away. Either way, the Patriots should consider taking a look at Kaepernick and perhaps allow him to be the backup QB. Hey, who else do you have that’s been to a Super Bowl and played very well early in his career?
Long-Term Answers for the Patriots
The long-term future for this team might not have a high concern now, as long as Brady stays healthy and is out there on every single play. But the future also looks really bleak, since now they don’t have Garoppolo and they don’t have Jacoby Brissett, whom they traded to the Colts earlier this season.
Brian Hoyer is not the long-term answer for this team. He might be signed to a two-year deal to back up Brady, but I think the real answer is that they’ll probably go into the draft and get another quarterback, whether it be Josh Rosen or Baker Mayfield or some other quality college quarterbacks that can back up Brady for a few years and then replace him, because the quarterbacks on the market right now are not high-quality quarterbacks and the best way to get one is through the draft, and I think that’s where they’ll find their future quarterback.
No Problems Now, But Start The Search
The Patriots look like they don’t care and as long as they have Brady under center, there’s going to be no concern for this team and no change to how they play their style of football. We understand that and we know that’s how they roll. But like I said before in this article, Brady’s not going to play forever, even if he believes he can. It’s perhaps time to start scouting around for another quarterback, Patriots! You’re going to need a successor to Brady, sooner or later.