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.

2. Mitchell Trubisky

The Patriots should stay far, far away from Mitchell Trubisky.

Trubisky’s chances of earning a starting job anywhere in the league looked brutal during the early part of the season, but he was able to regain his status as the Bears top signal caller, play mistake-free football, and lead Chicago to the postseason after the Nick Foles experiment was a failure. If Trubisky hits free agency, there will be a market for him.

New England, however, should stay far away from this fool’s gold. His low depth of target and 93.4 passer rating showed that Matt Nagy very clearly put the training wheels back on, forcing him to get the ball out of his hands quickly on very short passes. That style of football, as has been proven, isn’t sustainable in December and January.

Trubisky’s best season was a year in which he was intercepted 12 times and benefited from a talented array of skill position players. With an offense that needs a stud starter that can carry the load, as opposed to a question mark who needs a lot of nurturing, Belichick shouldn’t even think about Trubisky.

1. Jimmy Garoppolo

A reunion with Jimmy G? No thanks, Patriots!

Patriots fans might like the idea of reuniting with Garoppolo, as the former Pats second-rounder emerged as a solid starter in San Francisco that was one quarter away from beating Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. However, if an offensive genius like Kyle Shanahan is worried about the 49ers’ potential with him under center, that should concern New England.

Garoppolo, who found himself benched for the likes of CJ Beathard and Nick Mullens this season, is going to turn 30, yet he’s only started more than six games in a season once due to some concerning lower-body injuries. With just 4.1 air yards per completion last year, Shanahan is doing everything he can to avoid having Garoppolo hold the ball and make reads.

Not only is Garoppolo operating within an extremely limited version of Shanahan’s offense, but he’s doing so while commanding a hefty salary that New England will have to take on if he ends up back on the Patriots. His raw stats belie what he really is as a quarterback, and Belichick needs to be smart enough to avoid bringing him back.

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