The New England Patriots really did not want Andy Dalton.
Dalton joined the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday after getting cut by the Cincinnati Bengals earlier in the week. Upon his release, the Pats and Jacksonville Jaguars immediately were named as being interested in the quarterback.
But it appears that of the five teams that were interested in Dalton, the Patriots were not one of them. And that dates back to when the Bengals were trying to trade him, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Wrote Breer:
That said, how this went should further color where the Jaguars and Patriots are at the position. Cincinnati shopped Dalton to both, and neither showed much interest. And that — after his release detached him from the $17 million base that made him impossible for the Bengals to keep — neither wound up with him, despite both teams offering a clearer path to playing time, and despite Dallas only having to pay $3 million in base to get him, should say what you need to know about where they stand. Viva la Gardner Minshew, and viva la Jarrett Stidham, apparently.
It does seem Stidham is highly regarded in the Patriots organization, but unless they make the seemingly unlikely move of signing, say, Cam Newton or Blake Bortles, then it sounds they’ll go into camp with the starting job being Stidham’s to lose.
