Will Tom Brady leave the New England Patriots as a free agent later this month? Or will the G.O.A.T. stay put and make this much ado about absolutely nothing? Vegas’ Dave Mason has set a line on who would replace Brady should he take his act out of Foxboro.
Teddy Bridgewater (3-1)
This is an intriguing possibility. Teddy Bridgewater did a great job in New Orleans replacing an injured Drew Brees, going 5-1. He’s 22-12 overall as a starter and would have been the man in Minnesota for many years if not for the horrific knee injury. He’s going to be 28 in the upcoming season, which is plenty young to bank on for many years.
Ryan Tannehill (7-2)
Recency bias has to be considered here. Ryan Tannehill came out from Miami to Tennessee, stepped in for Marcus Mariota and lit a fire under the Titans’ offense. Was this one run or does he have magic in him? Short price for a quarterback who would seem to be a long shot to deliver a Super Bowl and continue the great success New England has had.
Marcus Mariota (5-1)
The man who was replaced by Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee. This seems like way too short odds to place a wager on for any bettor. Mariota couldn’t get it done with the Titans, had trouble staying healthy and would be expected to replace Tom Brady. Um, pass.
Andy Dalton (6-1)
The Bengals’ quarterback is expendable apparently with the No. 1 overall draft apparently destined to be Joe Burrow. Andy Dalton is going to be 33 in the 2020 season and has no playoff success. Bill Belichick is brilliant but this would be beyond working a miracle.
Jarrett Stidham (7-1)
The good news is Jarrett Stidham is already in the Patriots’ system. The uncertainty has to come with turning the dynasty over to a quarterback who was a fourth-round pick. Well, New England did it once before with a sixth-rounder. And look how that turned out.
Derek Carr (8-1)
Derek Carr will turn 29 later this month. He’s 39-55 as a starter with the Raiders. That isn’t the kind of past performances that bring along confidence to build a championship around.
Jimmy Garoppolo (10-1)
Jimmy Garoppolo was traded by New England to San Francisco because he wasn’t considered in place to take over for Tom Brady. Would the Patriots want him back after the Niners made it to the Super Bowl? The idea Brady would go to SF and Garoppolo returns to NE feels like a bad script.
Nick Foles (14-1)
Nick Foles downed the Patriots in a Super Bowl. He got a huge contract with Jacksonville only to get injured and open the door to a quarterback controversy with Gardner Minshew. He has a ring and that is nice. However, that’s an enormous price to absorb and if you are going to do that why not stick with the G.O.A.T.?
Philip Rivers (14-1)
Any year other than now and Philip Rivers might seem like a legit replacement for Tom Brady. He is a leader, can pass and breathes fire. However, his 2019 season bordered on awful and he isn’t getting any younger. There has to be major concern if Rivers will rebound. There was a funny discussion on LA sports-talk radio. The Chargers are saying goodbye to Travis Benjamin. The wideout wore No. 12. Would the Bolts get rid of one TB 12 to land another TB 12 in Brady?
Dak Prescott (20-1)
The Cowboys say they want to work out a long-term deal with Dak Prescott. Until they do, he has options. The sports world would need a defibrillator if Tom Brady went to the Cowboys and Prescott turned up in New England. There wouldn’t be enough space on any platform to cover that.
Jameis Winston (20-1)
There is zero chance Bill Belichick is going to want to go from the G.O.A.T. to Mr. 30-30. Jameis Winston has not shown enough for Tampa Bay to keep him as its starter let alone come to New England to replace Tom Brady.
Joe Flacco (25-1)
Joe Flacco’s time in Denver is apparently going to be short with Drew Lock in place as the Broncos’ future. Flacco has played in 17 games over the last two seasons and is already 35. There’s no future in a quarterback whose best is in his past.
Cody Kessler (33-1)
Cody Kessler is on the Patriots’ roster. He saw no time in 2019. He’s not the trivia answer or the answer to the question: Who replaced Tom Brady in New England?
