Patriots trade QB Jarrett Stidham to the Raiders
For a hot second, Jarrett Stidham was viewed as the future of the Patriots quarterback position. Following a strong rookie training camp, however, the 2019 fourth-round pick never developed into Tom Brady’s replacement. As it turns out, Stidham won’t turn into the next Patriots backup quarterback, either.
On Thursday, the Patriots traded Stidham and a future seventh-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for a future sixth-round selection. The news was first reported by the NFL Network.
The move makes sense for all parties. The writing was on the wall that Stidham’s days in New England would end during this offseason. The Patriots drafted Western Kentucky quarterback Bailey Zappe in the fourth round in the 2022 NFL Draft. Zappe joins Mac Jones, whom the Patriots drafted in the first round last year, and veteran Brian Hoyer on the depth chart.
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For Stidham, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, this move places him with a familiar face in new Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels, the former Patriots offensive coordinator, and a coaching staff full of former Patriots assistants. He heads to Las Vegas having thrown for 270 passing yards to go with two touchdowns and four interceptions.
Stidham was drafted with the 133rd overall pick in 2019 and had a fantastic training camp that offseason. As a rookie, he beat out Hoyer for the top backup spot behind Brady and it looked like the Patriots might have found a fourth-round gem. That preseason, Stidham completed 67.8% of his passes and threw for 731 yards to go with four touchdowns, an interception and a 102.6 quarterback rating. Those numbers were better than Jimmy Garoppolo’s rookie preseason.
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Stidham’s next two offseasons were marred by injuries, however, and that potential was never realized.
After Brady signed with Tampa in 2020, Stidham failed to beat out Cam Newton for the starting quarterback job in Foxboro. He suffered a hip injury that summer and started the season as the No. 3 quarterback on the roster behind Newton and Hoyer.
Stidham appeared in five games for the Patriots, throwing for 256 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. That the Patriots never started Stidham that season while Newton was struggling was a sign that the team didn’t see him as a starter in the NFL.
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Last season, Stidham started training camp on the physically unable to perform list after offseason back surgery. He was activated to the 53-man roster on Nov. 9 but was never active for a game. Meanwhile, the Patriots clearly moved on by drafting two quarterbacks in the past two NFL drafts.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Patriots trade QB Jarrett Stidham to the Raiders
