3 free agent quarterbacks the Patriots could sign this offseason

Baker Mayfield 

Mayfield was the starting quarterback when Van Pelt arrived in Cleveland from Cincinnati, and in the two years they were together, they went 17-13 during the regular seasons. That’s better than most people would have thought.

Mayfield played well during, too, throwing 43 touchdowns to 21 interceptions. He also recorded 299 rushing yards and two touchdowns and even caught a pass for 17 yards with Van Pelt calling the plays. 

Mayfield has improved exponentially since his time in Cleveland. In his last 21 regular season starts, he has thrown 32 scoring passes and 12 interceptions. And he’s run for 200 yards. 

He’s only 29, too, so he could be the long-term solution to the Patriots' quarterback woes. And he’ll be significantly cheaper than Cousins; the Buccaneers only paid him $4 million last season. 

Jacoby Brissett 

Brissett would be a familiar face for Patriots fans who weren’t exactly pleased when Belichick traded him to the Colts. Brissett didn’t start a game for the Commanders this season. But that’s a positive, considering the starting quarterback in Washington was sacked 65 times!

When he did get on the field, Brissett had a 78.3% completion rate, as 18 of his 23 passes were caught. And he threw three touchdown passes (a hefty 13% touchdown rate) with 0 interceptions. He also ran for 19 yards on three runs. 

All of that comes from an incredibly small sample size, and Brissett has never started an entire season. The closest he came was back in 2019 when he started 15 games as a Colt. And he’s never really been on a good team since he left New England.

But he is a more than capable quarterback. Throughout his career, he has thrown for 10,574 yards, 51 touchdowns, and just 23 interceptions. 

Brissett’s first stint in New England came in 2016, the season after Mayo retired from playing. And, remarkably, he’s only 31. He won’t turn 32 until December. He only made $8 million in Washington last year, too, so he’d be a very affordable option. And if the Patriots decided to draft a quarterback, Brissett would be an ideal mentor. 

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