Why Patriots Reportedly Have Been Pleased With Jarrett Stidham This Offseason

There has been plenty of chatter about the Patriots’ quarterback situation this offseason, but Jarrett Stidham has been a part of very little of it.

As the football world anticipates how Cam Newton will perform in 2021 as well as which QB New England might target in the draft, Stidham appears to be keeping his head down and working. The 2019 fourth-rounder organized a series of workouts in California — nicknamed “Pats West” — which were attended by several Patriots signal-callers and pass-catchers, including a few New England newcomers.

The Patriots, according to NFL insider Michael Giardi, have liked what they’ve seen from Stidham over the past few months, as the 24-year-old appears ready to compete when the team comes together for preseason and training-camp sessions.

“There is a pretty good feeling about what Jarrett Stidham has done over the course of this offseason,” Giardi said on NFL Network, as transcribed by SB Nation. “They like, sort of, his demeanor right now. They feel like there’s a bit more urgency to his operation, if you will. He’s the one who organized the workouts on the West Coast earlier this offseason. Maybe Jarrett Stidham is saying, ‘I’m not done just yet; this isn’t Cam’s job just yet.'”

New England’s starting quarterback job, as it stands, is Newton’s to lose. But given the way the 2020 season panned out, the competition for the gig should be wide-open this summer. Stidham probably is a long shot to be the Week 1 starter, but there’s no harm in putting in the work to prepare for such an event.