The Offense is Weak — What’s Next For the Patriots’ Quarterback?

In the 2020 season, the New England Patriots were one of the most watched teams, because of one of the biggest changes in NFL history. Their franchise icon Tom Brady took his talents to sunshine Florida, which left the famed quarterback position up for grabs. Brady joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency. Many analysts wanted to see if New England could be a contender without the “GOAT” leading their team. But will they live up to their fame and legend?

The Patriots as a whole need to rethink their strategy and regroup together. Often on the football field, the teams that achieve the highest rate of success are teams that work together and have a well thought out and carefully formulated plan. Often this season, Patriots players weren’t in sync, thus leading to a lack of communication which severed their chances of winning games. Most often, the blame for a team going under is on the changes that have occurred. Arguably, the biggest change to the Patriots team was the quarterback.

The Patriots signed former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who replaced the legendary Tom Brady. They signed Newton with a guaranteed salary of 550,000 for a year. The Patriots went from a powerful 12–4 team in 2019 to an average 7–9 team in the 2020 season. Although 7 wins and 9 losses looks bad, the Patriots got extremely close to winning 3 more games, as small mistakes in clutch situations cost them the game. An example is when they failed to get a touchdown at the one yard line against the Seattle Seahawks in their week two contest. The Patriots played amazing for the entire game, but blew the game when it mattered most. The Pats’ struggles cannot be entirely blamed on the defense, as they were a top ten unit and continued to force turnovers which gave their offense an extraordinary starting field position. However, the offense was not nearly as impressive in 2020, as they were ranked only 27th in total yards gained. With their offensive struggles, this offseason will be instrumental to push this team into potential playoff contenders.

The Patriots offense huddling and discussing the gameplan

Marcus Mariota

When you think about which quarterback the Patriots should take, one of the first names that comes to mind is Marcus Mariota. In Tennessee, Mariota was a MVP contender in 2015 as his Titans were a powerhouse offensive team. The Titans continued to win games with Mariota being the center piece as they even reached the 2017 AFC divisional round. In 2019, after a slow and sluggish start for the Titans offense, they benched Mariota, and replaced him with Ryan Tannehill. This turned out to be a clever move as the Titans reached the AFC championship game in the same season. Mariota then signed with the Oakland Raiders in the 2019 free agency as a backup quarterback playing behind Derrick Carr. Mariota received very little playing time as he only played just over three quarters against the Chargers in their 30–27 losing effort. For the most part, Mariota played extremely well as he threw for 226 yards and ran for 88 yards. Getting Mariota will be efficient for the Patriots since they have an amazing rushing game led by Damien Harris and an improved set of receivers. Mariota will get to use the play action pass efficiently since defenses will be so keyed in on the rushing game. If Mariota will not be the answer to their long term future, they could sign him to a 1 year contract and he can mentor Mac Jones just like Alex Smith did to Patrick Mahomes. Getting Mariota will most likely be the smartest move for the Patriots to make next year, but the answer to the long term future is someone else.

Marcus Mariota throwing the ball in practice

Mac Jones

With the Patriots being one of the only teams in the entire league along with the bears that desperately need a quarterback, which is why they will select Ohio State sensation Mac Jones. In the 2020 college football season, Mac Jones was a finalist for the Heisman trophy which is one of the biggest trophies a player can get while playing in college. One of his biggest strengths was throwing the ball downfield which is something New England really needs. With a hopefully better working receiving core, Mac Jones may be able to start right away since he knows the system pretty well in New England. This draft class is one of the deepest ever at the quarterback position so it makes sense to pick Mac Jones. Also, Mac Jones doesn’t have the upside of some of the other quarterbacks like Justin Fields or Trey Lance which is why he could fall to the #15 pick in the draft.

Cam Newton

Cam Newton could return to the New England Patriots, although that looks unlikely at this point. In 2020, Cam Newton was largely inconsistent, as he had several below 100 yard passing games. It is possible that his throwing may be lacking because of his arm injury that he suffered in the 2019–2020 season, resulting in Newton sitting out the entire season. If he is able to be fully healthy next season, we could expect about 20 touchdowns thrown out of him. Although he had a bad throwing season, he had an excellent rushing season as he achieved double digit touchdown numbers with his legs. With Newton having an amazing season running the ball, the Patriots rushing game was one of the most feared in 2020. When they beat teams, their rushing game excelled as Damien Harris had an astounding bounce back year from his injury. Even with a phenomenal rushing game, the Patriots were terrible at moving the ball downfield, since they couldn’t convert on 3rd down with more than five yards that often. By running the ball too much, these situations occur often. With a better set of receivers, Newton definitely could up his game in the 2021 season, which could leave him as an option for next season.

Cam Newton running the ball against the Seattle Seahawks

These three people all have different positive and negative qualities about them, and each will bring a different perspective and rhythm to the team. Ultimately, the decision rests on the hands of the New England Patriots team, and we will have to see who they think is the best fit. Leave your predictions in the comments below, and see you all next time!

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