Patriots Could Land Former Top Pick QB

The New England Patriots could land this former top pick quarterback during the NFL offseason.
Jan 5, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (18) runs for a first down against the Dallas Cowboys during the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
Jan 5, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (18) runs for a first down against the Dallas Cowboys during the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
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The New England Patriots don't need a starting quarterback. It's pretty clear that Drake Maye is their answer moving forward, but they may require some insurance behind him.

Jacoby Brissett served as Maye's backup once the latter signal-caller took over the starting role in mid-October, but Brissett is slated to hit free agency and may head elsewhere in March.

The good news is that there will be some intriguing backup options available for the Patriots in the coming months, and Keagan Stiefel of NESN feels that they could potentially target Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota.

"Mariota, 31, isn’t going to be an easy guy to watch (you know, that whole backup thing) but he’s the most intriguing guy on the roster for our purposes," Stiefel wrote. "New England likely will target a veteran quarterback to work with Drake Maye and Joe Milton III, and Mariota feels like one with the most transferable skills."

Mariota was originally selected by the Tennessee Titans with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft. He spent the first five years of his carer with the Titans and actually got off to a solid start, throwing for 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions during his sophomore campaign.

However, injuries and underwhelming performance sabotaged Mariota's stay in Tennessee the next three seasons, resulting in his eventual departure after 2019.

Since then, the University of Oregon product has spent time with the Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles before landing with the Commanders.

In three appearances this year, Mariota has completed 34 of his 44 passes for 364 yards and four touchdowns.

It's pretty clear that Mariota is no longer a starting-caliber quarterback, but he definitely represents one of the better backups in football. We'll see if New England makes a run at him in free agency.

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Matthew Schmidt
MATTHEW SCHMIDT

Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.