Patriots: 3 quarterbacks Bill Belichick absolutely needs to avoid this offseason

The Patriots found out just how difficult it can be to replace a legend like Tom Brady, as Cam Newton’s inconsistent season has New England in the market for a quarterback once more. Bill Belichick will have to search high and low to accomplish his goal.

In order to fit into a Patriots team that still has a very good shot of competing for a playoff spot, Belichick will need to either find a young prospect that he believes in or go for broke on the trade market in order to find an established veteran with a proven history of success.

If he wants to take the latter route, he just missed out on a very enticing target when former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford got traded to the Los Angeles Rams in a deal that sent former No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff to Detroit.

Belichick can’t panic and either overpay for a quarterback or take on someone he isn’t crazy about in the draft or else he could end up handicapping New England by inadequately selecting their next quarterback. If Belichick zeroes in on one of these three, that could spell trouble for impatient Patriots fans.

The New England Patriots need to stay away from these three quarterbacks.

3. Trey Lance

Trey Lance is an intriguing prospect, but he should be a no-go for the Pats.

Lance is projected to be selected within the first 10 picks during the 2021 NFL Draft, and his player profile makes it easy to see why. Lance’s arm strength is up there with anyone in this class, and he didn’t throw a single interception during his redshirt freshman season while leading North Dakota State to an undefeated, championship campaign, all the while becoming a deadly runner.

However, the Bison star has some major red flags that should prevent Belichick from trading up for him. He has just one year of starting experience, he didn’t play in 2020 save for one exhibition game, and he’s been featured in a run-first offense that leaned on his arm out of necessity. Players like Lance very rarely end up getting picked in the first round, let alone in the top 10.

Lance has a good chance to be a solid quarterback at the next level, but it will take a lot of time to iron out the kinks in his game. With Belichick desperate to get this team back into the playoffs, moving up in the draft to pick an FCS quarterback with several huge flaws in his game would be generously described as risky.