Getty Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer
The New England Patriots are going to have to do something with Jarrett Stidham. He has underachieved since the team selected him in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
At 24 years old, he should coming into his own as a starting quarterback, not battling Brian Hoyer, rookie first-round pick Mac Jones and Cam Newton for the starting job in New England, let alone a roster spot.
Stidham will begin training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list, which isn’t a permanent thing, but it just might be the first step before a final decision is made on his future with the Patriots.
Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald fired up a potential trade the Patriots could make with the Dallas Cowboys to give Stidham a fresh start, and New England a young wide receiver.
Trade Proposal: Stidham to the Dallas Cowboys for WR Cedrick Wilson
It doesn’t appear as though the Patriots are going to keep 4 quarterbacks on the roster in 2021, and most see Stidham as the most likely to be traded or released.
Unless Newton falls apart, he will be on the roster and likely the starter. Jones isn’t going any place, under any circumstances, and Hoyer has the least amount of job security, but still a little more than Stidham because he was brought in to help mentor the rookie.
Callahan mentions Stidham potentially heading to the New York Jets, but shoots that down because Bill Belichick wouldn’t want to send a quarterback to his division rival.
Here is Callahan’s explanation for Stidham heading to Big D and Wilson coming to New England.
Therefore, it’s off to Dallas for Stidham, who holds the door for fourth-year wideout Cedrick Wilson as he exits. Wilson had 20 touches for 177 yards and two touchdowns last season as the Cowboys’ No. 4 receiver. He originally entered the league as a sixth-round pick from Boise State in 2018, then missed his rookie year with a torn labrum and split the 2019 season between Dallas’ active roster and practice squad. Wilson broke out last season with a 107-yard, two-touchdown performance at Seattle in Week 3, shortly before Pro Bowl quarterback Dak Prescott broke his ankle and took all hope for the Cowboys’ passing offense down with him. Wilson has also returned punts and kickoffs. Somehow, Dallas still needs a backup quarterback, with only Cooper Rush, Ben DiNucci and Garrett Gilbert on the roster. Stidham’s tools could tempt the Cowboys on their own, or they might take confidence in the coaching he’s received from Josh McDaniels. Stidham’s contract is also cheaper than Wilson’s, and twice as long, after the 6-foot-5, 188-pound wideout returned on a 1-year, restricted free agent tender in April. If Noah Brown or fifth-round rookie receiver Semi Fehoko can pull even with Wilson on Dallas’ depth chart this summer, he becomes the definition of expendable. Both teams are dealing from a position of surplus here.
Wilson’s versatility should be appealing to the Patriots, and quite honestly, any inexpensive returns they get back for Stidham should be seen as a plus.
Stidham Could Be a Valuable Backup to Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott is the unquestioned starter in Dallas, but as we saw last season, a team is one play away from starting their second-string QB for the rest of the season.
Despite Prescott being far more entrenched as the starter with the Cowboys than either Newton or Jones would be in New England; in Dallas, Stidham might be higher on the depth chart. Landing with the Cowboys would also give Stidham a much-needed fresh start.
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