You could make a pretty decent argument that the New England Patriots have the best quarterback situation in the NFL. Tom Brady is coming off his fifth Super Bowl win, and the Patriots thought so highly of Jimmy Garoppolo that they refused to trade him this summer. Toss in third-stringer Jacoby Brissett, and it’s an extremely talented room.
Rotoworld.com’s Patrick Daugherty doesn’t see it the same way and ranked the Patriots’ quarterback situation seventh in the NFL behind the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders.
The Patriots ranked sixth last season and ninth in 2015.
Daugherty’s explanation comes down to Brady’s age. He acknowledges Brady “was the best player on the best team in football last season,” but the Patriots starter will be 40 in August, and there isn’t an established track record of quarterbacks playing well into their mid-40s, as Brady hopes to do.
Still, the Patriots have Garoppolo waiting in the wings. Here’s what Daugherty writes about Garoppolo:
“Against all odds, they’ve hung onto Jimmy Garoppolo, creating a scenario where he’s either franchise tagged or allowed to walk in 2018. That is, unless they part with Brady, amicably or otherwise. … Today, right now, Brady is the favorite to be under center in New England in 2018. That alone is enough to give the Patriots a top-10 quarterback situation. The kicker is, should Brady retire or the Pats decide to move on, they have a well-groomed replacement waiting in the wings.”
Despite his age, Brady actually has improved in the past three seasons and didn’t show a single sign of slowing down in 2016. Because of that and Garoppolo’s promise, the Patriots at least belong in the top five, which would place them above Jameis Winston and Derek Carr.
It’s possible Daugherty is assuming Garoppolo will not be retained past this season, though that’s not what ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting.
The Patriots definitely have a better backup than the Packers (Brett Hundley), Seahawks (Trevone Boykin), Colts (Scott Tolzien), Falcons (Matt Schaub), Buccaneers (Ryan Fitzpatrick) and Raiders (Connor Cook? EJ Manuel?).
The Jets, unsurprisingly, rank last.
Thumbnail photo via John David Mercer/USA TODAY Sports Images
