Former Patriot advocates for Russell Wilson to sign with New England

Because it appears the Patriots don't have a solid quarterback to start next year, we are now at the point of desperation where fans and even former players are showing interest in other team's discarded goods.

After falling to New England on Sunday Night Football last week, the Broncos decided to bench Russell Wilson, not because he played poorly, but allegedly due to his lack of interest in adjusting his contract during the bye week. This led to reports of Sean Payton wanting to cut the quarterback at the start of the new season, meaning Wilson would be available for any needy team to sign.

That's how the Patriots have been thrown into the mix.

Although Wilson has been relatively mediocre since the Legion of Boom days in Seattle, bringing him to Foxboro sounds like a fascinating idea to some. On paper, he would be an automatic upgrade over Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe. Plus, he brings the veteran experience that those two are lacking and could be a bridge quarterback until higher-ups decide to take a chance on a rookie.

On the other hand, signing a 36-year-old quarterback coming off a roller coaster of a time with his new team after essentially demanding an insanely expensive contract doesn't feel like the right move. The Cam Newton experiment in 2020 was fine, but that was nearly four years ago.

The Patriots shouldn't be in a position to consider taking on another temporary quarterback; the future needs to be the focus, and a player nearing the end of his career should be last on the list.

But that doesn't appear to be a shared sentiment with former Patriots running back James White, who quoted a tweet by Fox Sports earlier this week asking where Wilson will play in 2024. White simply replied with "Patriots," followed by the eyeball emoji, seemingly suggesting they should be on the short list of teams.

If the Patriots sign Russell Wilson next year, it would be their next biggest mistake

Considering Wilson's career, which hasn't been incredible but far from lackluster, it wouldn't be the most horrific decision to sign him next year. But it's a short-term fix that doesn't address the issues the team is facing. It's brushing them under the rug, hoping to forget they exist, or holding off as long as possible to deal with it.

It doesn't seem like the route Robert Kraft would want to take, as he's consistently expressed his disappointment with how the team has fared over the last four seasons. If he wants the Patriots to be successful and be successful now, maybe Wilson could do that. But how long would that last?

Investing time and money into young players who can be coached and appropriately developed guarantees they'll be around for many more years.

The type of success Kraft desires may not come right away, but putting together the right roster to be coached by the right people will allow them to reap the benefits in a few years and last much longer.

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