The New England Patriots have signed their first quarterback in the post-Tom Brady era. The name of that quarterback? Brian Hoyer, coming to town in his third stint with the Pats. The deal is for a year at $1.05 million, which leaves New England with more money to spend on a starter. They have $13.5 million hitting their salary cap in 2020 because of previous changes to Brady’s contract, so this could be a year that the Patriots use to reboot, as their cap in 2021 is a lot clearer. It is extremely unlikely that Hoyer will be the starter this year. Several other quarterbacks have signed with new teams, as Philip Rivers is now an Indianapolis Colt, and Nick Foles will be in Chicago, the latest experiment of the Bears. Take a look at updated sports betting odds for the next starting signal-caller at Gillette Stadium.
NFL: Odds for the Next Starting Quarterback of the New England Patriots
Next Patriots Quarterback Player Odds- Jarrett Stidham +200
- Andy Dalton +300
- Jameis Winston +700
- Derek Carr +750
- Brian Hoyer +900
- Jimmy Garoppolo +1000
- Cody Kessler +1400
- Joe Flacco +2500
Taysom Hill is definitely not the typical third-stringer, though, because not only does he play on special teams, but he will slide into the lineup and either run the ball or carry it. He even will slide out into a receiver slot and catch passes. It’s hard to see Sean Payton allowing Hill to get out the door.
What about Andy Dalton? I keep reading that Andy Dalton is effective leading a team with a sound support system. But what has he gotten done in Cincinnati? New England indicated yesterday that Dalton was not part of their current plans. Dalton may find himself the odd man out in Cincinnati, as it looks like the Bengals plan to use their #1 overall pick to bring LSU’s Joe Burrow to town. Some might argue that Burrow should use a year under Dalton to learn the NFL. Dalton has played in Cincinnati for nine seasons. The Bengals went to the playoffs five straight years under Dalton, but they lost in the first round for each of those five games. In 2015, to be fair, he was injured for that playoff game, as AJ McCarron started in his place. Over the last four seasons, the Bengals have missed the playoffs.
Dalton has a cannon arm and is extremely durable. He has played all 16 games of the regular season six times in his nine NFL seasons. He was healthy through all of 2019, although he was put on the bench for Ryan Finley. However, he will turn 33 this season, and he has not had a successful season since 2015.
Jameis Winston is an interesting option, as he led the NFL in passing yards last year (with 5,019) and threw 33 touchdown passes. However, he also threw 30 interceptions, and that was with Bruce Arians as his head coach. Winston had had a number of different head coaches, offensive coordinators and other assistants in Tampa Bay, but Arians has had proven results mentoring young quarterbacks. However, Winston now has 88 interceptions and 31 fumbles in his career. He does have 121 career touchdown passes, and he can take over games with his arm. But can he make the sort of decisions that Bill Belichick will approve?
Joe Flacco is an interesting sleeper on this NFL odds list. He struggled in Denver, as he came to the Broncos in an attempt to rejuvenate his career, but things did not work particularly well for him in the Mile High City. There are issues with his back, and he has regressed in mobility even from his time in Baltimore. He is the sort of reliable quarterback that Belichick likes, in terms of ball security, but he doesn’t release the ball as quickly as Brady does. Behind a patchwork offensive line and without a lot of assets at wide receiver, would Flacco be able to lead the Patriots to another AFC East title while the Patriots work on clearing salary cap space?
