Report: Patriots Have Soured On QB Jarrett Stidham
BOSTON (CBS) -- After trading away Jimmy Garoppolo in 2017, the Patriots needed a quarterback of the future to follow in the footsteps of Tom Brady. In 2019, the team drafted Jarrett Stidham out of Auburn, seemingly filling that need.
But now, not even two years later, Project Stidham might be a bust.
NBC Sports Boston's Tom E. Curran said prior to Monday night's Patriots-Jets game that Stidham has largely fallen out of favor with the New England coaching staff, owing in large part to his lack of effort to win the starting job over Cam Newton during training camp.
"The Patriots don't feel very good about Jarrett Stidham, from really July on," Curran said. "Things that have gone on with him in terms of the absence of things that have gone on with him. No compete in terms of trying to win that job away from Cam Newton, and I think that that is a big strike against him."
"From what I'm gathering, the Patriots don't feel very good about Jarrett Stidham, from really July on..." @tomecurran discusses why he thinks the Patriots are sticking with Cam Newton for now. pic.twitter.com/LLwHgWS5oZ
— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) November 9, 2020
Stidham, 24, did suffer an injury during training camp, but that took place seemingly after Newton was well on his way to earning the role as QB1 in the post-Tom Brady era.
Stidham started the season as the third-string quarterback, behind both Newton and Brian Hoyer. After Hoyer made a tremendous mistake at the end of the first half in Kansas City in Week 4, Stidham got a chance for some game action. He completed just five of his 13 passes for 60 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He got some game action again vs. San Francisco in Week 7, but he was 6-for-10 for 64 yards with no touchdowns and another interception.
Combined with his limited action as a rookie, Stidham has thrown four interceptions on just 27 total passes in the NFL.
Coming off two seasons at Auburn, where he threw 36 touchdowns with 11 interceptions while completing 63.6 percent of his passes with an 8.1-yard average per attempt, the Patriots likely expected a bit more out of Stidham when they spent the 133rd overall pick on Stidham in 2019.
Based on his performance and the latest scuttlebutt, it looks as though the Patriots may once again be in the QB market when the 2021 draft rolls around.