Getty New England Patriots, Jarrett Stidham
Will former New England Patriots quarterback Jarrett Stidham ever get a chance to start for an NFL team? With the Las Vegas Raiders struggling, some fans call for him to replace Derek Carr.
This is a familiar spot for Stidham. When he was with the Patriots, the young signal-caller had a strong contingent that wanted to see him get a legitimate shot at becoming New England’s next franchise quarterback.
Jarrett Stidham Is Back With a Cult Following in Las Vegas
In the offseason, the Patriots lost Tom Brady to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, it appeared as though Stidham was in line to get his shot. After all, the Patriots drafted him in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL draft with what appeared to be intentions of replacing The GOAT.
Clearly, the Patriots didn’t see enough from Stidham for them to adorn him as the starter without competition. New England brought in Cam Newton on a low-cost, one-year deal, and the former MVP beat out Stidham and veteran Brian Hoyer for the starting job.
Newton started out hot but caught COVID after Week 3, and everything went downhill from there for him and the team. Stidham would get a few opportunities to play, but he was never the starter. He spent all of the 2021 season injured, and the Patriots traded him to the Raiders this offseason, where he was reunited with former New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Again, Stidham is seemingly stuck behind Derek Carr, another veteran, big-name quarterback on a spiraling team. The Raiders sit at a woeful 2-6 and in last place in the AFC West, and fans are beginning to call for McDaniels to bench Carr and start Stidham.
One fan tweeted: “The raiders need to stop bull######## and start Jarrett Stidham.”
The raiders need to stop bullshitting and start @Jarrett_Stidham !!!!
Another cited Carr’s injured back, and he called a decision to start Stidham the right choice.
Another pulled from a video of Stidham launching an accurately thrown bomb during the preseason is evidence the Raiders should start Stidham:
An old football saying suggests the most popular player on a bad NFL team is always the backup quarterback. Since Stidham has consistently been the backup on some bad teams, he’s become pretty popular with fanbases over the years.
Perhaps the Raiders will be the team to give him a chance to start.
Around the NFL: Pro Football Talk Slams Jeff Saturday Hire
The Indianapolis Colts fired Frank Reich and hired former center Jeff Saturday as the interim head coach on Monday, November 7. Saturday is respected, but he has no NFL coaching experience.
Also, the Colts are seemingly flirting with skirting the Rooney Rule that mandates teams interview a minority candidate for their head coaching vacancy.
Beyond the potential ignoring of the Rooney Rule, the Colts might also be simply neglecting other more qualified candidates. Pro Football Talk on Twitter let the world know their thoughts on the Colts’ hire and their intentions to root for Saturday to succeed, despite how he was thrust into his current position.
It’s possible to both support Jeff Saturday to succeed in his job and to object to the manner in which he got it. Win or lose, the process is still an affront to the many actually qualified and experienced coaches who weren’t even considered.
While PFT’s point is well taken, it is tough to look at Saturday’s introductory meeting with the media on Wednesday and to come away unimpressed.
Colts’ interim HC Jeff Saturday: