Patriots head coach Bill Belichick seems ready to head into the 2020 season with Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer as his options at quarterback.
Sportsbooks across the country are not buying into that as a strong plan.
FanDuel Massachusetts had the Patriots at +2200 to win the Super Bowl before last week’s NFL Draft. After the Pats failed to draft a QB in the seven round event over the weekend, however, FanDuel dropped those odds to +2300.
That is not too dramatic of a drop, but considering most other teams saw their odds improve or stay the same coming out of the draft it is notable.
Eight teams at FanDuel have lower odds compared to the Patriots to win next February’s big game, including the Chiefs (+650), Ravens (+700), 49ers (+900), Saints (+1200), Buccaneers (+1500), Cowboys (+1700), Eagles (+1900) and Seahawks (+2100).
DraftKings Sportsbook Massachusetts is not quite as harsh as it has the Pats at +2000 to win it all. Only six other teams have lower odds at DK.
Uncertainty at QB
Belichick certainly had chances to land a QB during the three-day draft. The likes of Jordan Love, Jalen Hurts and Jacob Eason were all on the board for the Pats early.
The Patriots instead opted to beef up their defense, selecting defensive players with their first three picks. They also picked a pair of tight ends in the third round.
Conventional thinking suggests that the Patriots will sign another veteran QB to compete for the starting job with Stidham and Hoyer.
Jameis Winston is no longer available after he signed with the New Orleans Saints this week, leaving former NFL MVP Cam Newton as the most notable free agent quarterback available.
Patriots thinking about Cam?
The Patriots are now the favorites at +100 (FanDuel) to sign Newton. The Jaguars (+250), Redskins (+500), Steelers (+700), Bears (+1000) and Broncos (+1000) have also been mentioned as possible landing spots for the former Panthers star.
FanDuel also has odds on who will be the Patriots starting QB in Week 1 of the 2020 season, with Stidham as the favorite. Current Bengals QB Andy Dalton is also listed here at +900.
Jarrett Stidham -150
Cam Newton +155
Brian Hoyer +600
Andy Dalton +900
