The New England Patriots could decide to run it back in 2024 with with Bill Belichick and a veteran quarterback–Russell Wilson. The Patriots were recently named by The Athletic as one of the top destinations for Wilson next season after Belichick’s comments about the quarterback last week.
The Denver Broncos announced Wednesday they were benching Wilson for the rest of the regular season. The Broncos reportedly plotted the move to bench and cut Wilson in order to cut their losses on his hefty salary as soon as possible.
Wilson might not be worth the contract the Broncos signed him to. But he still has plenty of mileage left in him when he leaves the Mile High City. Wilson sports the seventh-best quarterback rating in the NFL amongst eligible players.
The New England Patriots are a candidate for Wilson
Wilson’s play this season could make him an attractive candidate for the Patriots next season if they decide to retain Belichick. Per The Athletic, Belichick thinks highly of Wilson, and he could be a suitable option to replace Mac Jones if the 71-year-old head coach doesn’t want to restart with a rookie quarterback:
“The short answer is that the Patriots need a quarterback in 2024 after the end of the Mac Jones era. It’s not clear yet who will be making the key decisions for the team this offseason, but Bill Belichick praised Wilson before their matchup last weekend, won by the Patriots. If Belichick is still around, he could be interested in a quick-fix plan rather than a rebuild, potentially making Wilson an option in New England.”
Per CBS News, Belichick said Wilson is a problem for defenses because of his mobility:
“Offensively, good receivers, good running back, really good quarterback,” Belichick said. “Wilson’s definitely a problem. Running, throwing, extended plays, similar to what we talked about last week with [Patrick] Mahomes, but runs more, runs more than probably any quarterback in the league other than [Lamar] Jackson.”
The Patriots could be too far back to draft a top QB
The Patriots were on pace to have the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft before they beat the Broncos in Week 17. Ironically, that win could be what sends Wilson to New England. The Patriots currently would draft fourth overall if the season ended on Christmas and would be outside the Caleb Williams/Drake Maye sweepstakes.
There are several other quarterback prospects who will go in the first round, but they’re considered a significant drop-off from the caliber of Williams or Maye. If the Patriots can’t draft at No. 1 or No. 2, jersey number three could be playing in New England next season.
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