Patriots insider somehow thinks Jarrett Stidham is a good trade chip for Julio Jones

The Julio Jones trade sweepstakes continues to take twists and turns. One thing that hasn’t changed? The New England Patriots remain one of the candidates to land the Falcons star.

In recent days, the Seattle Seahawks have entered the conversation, with reports noting that Jones and Russell Wilson have discussed the possibility of playing together.

At this point, it’s looking like the Patriots, Seahawks and Titans, who somehow became the frontrunners despite reportedly offering as little as a second-round pick, are the three favorites to land the offseason’s most prized available superstar who doesn’t play quarterback.

While we love the Patriots’ chances of acquiring Jones, it’s going to take a formidable trade package (probably more than a second-rounder) to appease the Falcons. Whether it’s a first-rounder or a second and a young asset remains to be seen.

What we can say without a shadow of a doubt, however, is that the offer proposed by Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston would be laughed at by Atlanta. Care to guess who the Patriots insider thinks would entice the Falcons?

Jarrett Stidham, the team’s likely third-string QB.

Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston somehow thinks Jarrett Stidham could help the Patriots land Julio Jones.

"“Stidham is a pretty good trade chip,” Curran said on WEEI Radio this week. “And as we look, today is June 1, this is the opportunity right now for Atlanta to split up Julio Jones’ damage and move him as we all know. Jarrett Stidham wouldn’t be a horrendous chip to throw in along with that second-round pick.”"

We hate to come down on Curran, who does great work for NBC Sports Boston, but Stidham would literally be a “horrendous” trade chip. It’s duly noted that Atlanta passed on drafting a quarterback in April (they took Florida tight end Kyle Pitts at No. 4 overall), but in what universe would they consider Stidham as Matt Ryan’s long-term successor?

They obviously wouldn’t.

To say Curran is putting Stidham in an unfair situation would be an understatement, as we are now forced to highlight his deficiencies as a quarterback. The 2019 fourth-rounder has appeared in just seven games (zero starts) over his first two seasons, completing 50% of his passes for 270 yards, to go with two touchdowns, four interceptions, and 5.6 yards per attempt.

We know it’s limited sample size, but those numbers equate to a 46.4 passer rating. In the simplest of terms, Stidham is solid back up on his best day. Every other day? He’d struggle to make a team’s final roster coming out of training camp, and that’s precisely the position he’s in with the Patriots after they re-signed veteran Brian Hoyer for extra competition.

The Falcons would be well within their rights to laugh the Pats off the phone if they offered Stidham and a second-rounder for arguably the greatest WR of his generation.

Curran is a knowledgeable insider with a lot to offer, but we have to disagree with his assessment of Jarrett Stidham. It’s clear the Patriots hardly believe in him. Why would the Falcons?

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