Jaguars free agency: 3 potential trade partners for QB Gardner Minshew

Bill Belichick should consider giving the Jacksonville Jaguars a call.

What a difference a season makes. Not long ago, it was common to ask who deserved more credit for the New England Patriots’ success in the last two decades, head coach Bill Belichick or quarterback Tom Brady. Although the latter went on to win Super Bowl 55 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he was surrounded by top-notch talent, so saying he alone won the championship would short-sighted. He was one of the reasons why the Bucs won, not THE reason why they did.

Meanwhile, the Pats failed to make the playoffs for the second time in 18 years. However, the reasons why they didn’t qualify for the postseason went beyond the quarterback position, as key players such as offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, linebacker Dont’a Hightower and safety Patrick Chung opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns.

Although Cannon won’t return to Foxborough in 2021, Hightower and Chug will. Also, New England has been one of the most aggressive teams in free agency, signing wide receiver Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne, tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, and safety Jalen Mills.

The Patriots now just need a competent signal-caller to take advantage of all the talent they have added this offseason. They re-signed Cam Newton but his team-friendly contract gives New England the chance to explore other options at the position, so they can still bring in another quarterback to compete for the starting job. That’s where Gardner Minshew would come in.