Jarrett Stidham hasn’t given up on the idea of being the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback in 2020.
Stidham seemed destined for the role after Tom Brady’s departure in free agency until the Patriots signed Cam Newton in late June. Now, Stidham is ready for a quarterback competition with Newton and Brian Hoyer, but he still feels he’s prepared to take on the top role.
“Absolutely. I think I’m definitely ready,” Stidham said Friday in a video conference call with the media. “I’ve put in a lot of work this offseason to really improve mentally, physically in a lot of different areas. At the end of the day, I’m extremely excited to compete with Cam and Hoy as we go forward in training camp and getting into the season and things like that. I’m really looking forward to the competition. I love competing in whatever it is, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Stidham is used to being in a talented quarterback room after a season with Brady above him on the depth chart. Now, he’ll be competing with another NFL MVP in Newton.
“If you have a lot of good players in a room, it’s just going to continue to excel everybody, push everybody and really bring out the competitive juices that everybody has,” Stidham said.
Stidham is saying all of the right things about the Patriots’ quarterback room at this point, saying their relationship is “really great.” In an earlier video conference call, Newton revealed his nicknames for “Stiddy” and “Hoyster.”
“We’re all in that room together, and we’re all there to help each other,” Stidham said. “That’s what it’s all about.”
The Patriots will have two weeks of training camp and no preseason games to sort out the quarterback competition, which sounds wide open after hearing QB coach Jedd Fisch and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels talk about it Friday.
