Bedard: What's next for the Patriots at quarterback A.B. - After Brady? (UPDATED)

He's gone. It's over. In Belichickian fashion, we're on to Cincinnati, and that means we're on to the 2020 season — that starts with the quarterback, After Brady.

We've already discussed the methodology and the candidates here previously, but we'll fuse the two and expound on our previous comments.

Basically, it's going to be about the financial situation the Patriots now find themselves in — all by their own doing in recent years by poor draftings and throwing millions of dollars (Antonio Brown) against the wall offensively. That's also part of the reason why Brady decided to part ways with the Patriots without much of a fight. After seeing the Patriots get involved but ultimately sit on the sidelines again while the likes of DeAndre Hopkins and Stefon Diggs were easily acquired by other teams, and watching the Patriots spend their available cap space to franchise tag a guard in Joe Thuney, Brady knew nothing was really going to change from last season, when he was miserable without much help around him.

So Brady exited stage left seeking a better situation with a helping hand from Belichick. And now the head coach is without an experienced starter.

What's next?

The Patriots still don't have much cap space. Some moves can and will be made to free some more up, but the bottom line is the Patriots are not going to break the bank out of desperation for the next quarterback.

They are going to slow-play the market that will be settling quickly after Brady makes his decision (Colin Cowherd reports it will be Tampa Bay on Wednesday). And there will, at least and most likely, be a competitive situation.

Patriots could have between $5 million and $10 million for another quarterback, but they'd prefer to stay on the lower end.

ON THE ROSTER

Jarrett Stidham ($1,009,028 cap hit in 2020): The fourth-round had a good rookie season considering he came from two college programs (Baylor, Auburn) with the most basic offenses in the country. Showed good athletic ability, a good-enough arm and smarts. Had a very good preseason, but threw a pick-six in his first and only real playing time last season. The feeling in the building is that Stidham is where Jimmy Garoppolo was after his first season — good potential and could be a starter, but no one knows until they actually do it. Garoppolo didn't get to prove it until his third season with Brady suspension.

Cody Kessler ($935,000): A 2016 third-round pick of the Browns, Kessler was signed last season to give the team a scout team quarterback with Brady missing a lot of practice, and an in-house veteran in case Brady was injured during the season. Kessler was 0-8 as a rookie starter on a bad Browns team, but 2-2 on a 5-11 Jaguars team in 2018.



ELIMINATED OPTIONS

Philip Rivers: Reportedly agreed to terms with Colts.
Ryan Tannehill: Signed extension with Titans.
Marcus Mariota: Agreed to terms with Raiders.
Teddy Bridgewater: Agreed to terms with Panthers.
Case Keenum: Agreed to terms with Browns.
A.J. McCarron: Agreed to terms with Texans (could be traded).
Chase Daniel: Agreed to terms with Lions.
Chad Henne: Agreed to terms with Chiefs.
Nick Foles: Traded to Bears.

FREE AGENTS

Taysom Hill, RFA ($4.7 million projected tender): Considering he’ll be 30 next season and has never been a starter, there is obviously risk here but if you’re contemplating signing him to an RFA offer sheet, you are pretty confident in his ability to be an immediate NFL starter. The Patriots would have to construct a multi-year offer for decent money and surrender a first-round pick (or other compensation like with Wes Welker). The Patriots could get creative, but that's a bigger risk than bringing Brady back. Still, this would be a total Belichick move. Considering Hill’s immense versatility (even special teams), the coach would probably be all right with any deal — even if, say, Jarrett Stidham or another drafted quarterback wins the job a year or two down the road. Belichick would probably be just fine with investing in Hill because he’ll get his money’s worth in one way or another.

Jameis Winston ($20.9 million in '19): Threw 30 interceptions last year and would need an awful lot of work in an offense that isn't a great fit for him. Could be without a starting chair so his pricetag will drop, but is it worth it? Highly doubt it.

Matt Moore ($1,865,625): He'll be 36 and has only been a career backup, but he's been good in that spot and could be a good tutor for a veteran.

Blake Bortles ($1,000,000): Patriots liked him in the Garoppolo draft and would have considered him late in the first or second round — where he should have been drafted. There have never been questions about his physical gifts, and maybe the Patriots can coach him up. Definitely worth more than a look. Would be good competition. Also, new offensive assistant Jedd Fisch was his OC in Jacksonville.

Career backups with not much upside: Drew Stanton ($3,765,625), Trevor Siemian ($2,000,000), Mike Glennon ($1,865,625), Sean Mannion ($805,000).

POSSIBLE TRADES

All of these players would need to agree to new, cheaper contracts if they agree to be traded to the Patriots. 

Cam Newton ($19.1 million): Not a good fit for the offense and have a hard time seeing the man who entered the NFL wanting to be an icon taking a cut-rate deal. More likely to a team like the Chargers.

Andy Dalton ($17,700,000): If Dalton was smart, he'd agree to rip up his deal and take whatever the Patriots give him for at least one season. He's actually a very good fit for the Patriots' system.

Nick Foles ($15,125,000): Definitely worth making a call on both Jags QBs (Gardner Minshew) … remember, Foles did rifle you in the Super Bowl. TRADED TO BEARS

Derek Carr ($18,900,000): The Raiders have signed Mariota, but nothing precludes the Raiders from dealing Carr. Pats should inquire, but he'd also have to rip up his deal.

Jacoby Brissett ($6 million now, another $7 million on 3rd day of league year): Indianapolis knows that Brissett isn’t a franchise quarterback in their system after this past season so they are rumored to be signing Rivers. If the Patriots are looking for a bridge quarterback, they could certainly do worse than Brissett, who already knows their system and has won a game in it. A trade is the best route as Indianapolis would net $11 million on their cap.

Josh Rosen ($750,000): I did an entire breakdown of Rosen last offseason and I still think, depending on what they think of his intangibles, Rosen is worth some development. Plus, he just came from a season with Chad O’Shea so he’s had a start in a system similar to the Patriots offense. No way you count on him being a starter, but it would be good competition for Stidham.

Tyrod Taylor ($5 million): The Patriots have had plenty of looks at Taylor over the years so there’s enough intel there for them to make a quick decision. Doubt he checks all their boxes, but I would guess they would think he’s a guy they can win with. If LA gets a franchise veteran quarterback, the smart move for them would be to still draft one, which would make Taylor expendable. Belichick and Josh McDaniels always pined for an athletic quarterback in their system…

Nick Mullens ($750,000): Forced into action on a bad 49ers team as a rookie after Jimmy Garoppolo got hurt, Mullens completed 64.2 percent of his passes and had a rating of 90.8. He’s still just an exclusive rights free agent so you would have plenty of time and control to see what might be there. You figure he’d be further along than Stidham, but it would at least make for a good competition.

Any others that I'm missing? Let me know in the comments.