Bill Belichick isn’t going to look to see what his young quarterback, Jarrett Stidham, has to offer. Not yet, at least. After the New England Patriots’ 24-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 8, Bill Belichick told reporters he’s sticking with starter Cam Newton.
“Cam’s our quarterback. Been that way all year,” Belichick said.
That won’t change now that the Patriots are 2-5 and essentially irrelevant in the playoff hunt. That won’t change now that New England would be wise to tank. No doubt, it could change in the near future. But Newton put together his best game since his Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. It’s just that Newton’s fumble also cost the Patriots the game in Week 8 — and, in turn their season in 2020. Belichick will continue to see what Newton can do.
Bill Belichick asked if the Patriots might turn things over to Jarrett Stidham: "Cam's our quarterback. Been that way all year."
— Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis) November 1, 2020
Newton is on a one-year deal with New England, and could still end up the team’s starting quarterback in 2021, in theory. He has been extremely streaky in the first eight weeks of the season, with a brilliant game against the Seahawks and an awful game against the Denver Broncos. Belichick could be thinking that he’ll stick with Newton in hopes of getting a sense of whether to make a significant financial commitment to Newton for 2021.
Of course, some might argue that starting Stidham is the best of both worlds at this point. If Stidham is good, the Patriots know that have someone to build around in the future. If Stidham is bad, New England ends up near the top of the draft. But it’s likely Belichick still wants to win football games — he doesn’t have the word, “tank,” in his vocabulary.
