Previewing this year’s quarterback class ahead of free agency.

The New England Patriots are expected to be among the most active teams in NFL free agency this offseason. Not only do they have holes all over their roster and several crucial areas that need to be addressed, they also have vast resources to play with: New England is tops in the league with over $130 million in salary cap space available.

Will some of that money be invested in the quarterback position? That remains to be seen, but the team does have some potential to make a move. With that said, let’s assess this year’s QB free agency class.

Patriots’ current quarterback situation

The Patriots are in a comfortable position heading into the offseason as it relates to their quarterback room. While initial 2024 starter Jacoby Brissett will enter the market as an unrestricted free agent, the rest of the room will stay put: Drake Maye and Joe Milton III, two draft picks last offseason, are both under contract until 2027.

Maye is the Patriots’ QB1 and a player the team is high on. While time will tell how well he will perform in the team’s new-look offense led by head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, he is the player the team will build around — and behind as far as the quarterback room is concerned.

As it stands, Milton is on his way to become the top backup next season. New England might want to add more experienced depth between the two youngsters, though.

Patriots free agency targets at quarterback

The quarterback position will not be a top priority for the Patriots this year given the current composition of the room, and giving out contracts far beyond the veteran minimum should not be expected. That said, there are some targets that would make sense based on their veteran status and connection to the current staff:

Joshua Dobbs (UFA): A career journeyman since entering the NFL as a 2017 fourth-round draft pick, Dobbs spent time with both Mike Vrabel in Tennessee (2022) and with new quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant in Cleveland (2023). His connection to the Patriots’ staff are what makes him a potential target, more so than his production on the field: Dobbs has started just 15 games over the course of his career, including one as a member of the San Francisco 49ers last year.

Jimmy Garoppolo (UFA): Could Jimmy G return to Foxboro to resume his old backup role? It seems possible given that a) his days as a starter are probably over, and b) his connection with Josh McDaniels. The 33-year-old could be a mentor for Drake Maye and Joe Milton, who comes with vast experience working alongside McDaniels: he did so both in New England (2014-17) and Las Vegas (2023). Garoppolo spent last season with the Los Angeles Rams, starting the regular season finale.

Taylor Heinicke (UFA): Another former Patriots depth quarterback, who would make sense to fill the veteran role in the team’s current room. Heinicke has not started a game since the 2023 season and saw no playing time in his first stint in New England (2017), but he is a veteran of 10 NFL seasons who has spent time with several organizations since entering the league as a rookie free agent in 2015.

Marcus Mariota (UFA): Mariota and Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel are no strangers to one another, with the latter inheriting the former when he was hired by the Tennessee Titans in 2018. Mariota started only 19 games under Vrabel and was eventually replaced by Ryan Tannehill before leaving in 2020, but their connection could come into play again this offseason: Mariota offers extensive experience, dual-threat potential similar to Drake Maye, and a play style well-suited for a Josh McDaniels offense.

Jarrett Stidham (UFA): The youngest player on the list, Stidham followed a similar career path as Jimmy Garoppolo: he started as a backup in New England, and eventually re-joined Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas. There is a difference in experience, though, with Stidham starting only four total games over his six years in the league. None of those came in 2024, when he was in his second season as a backup for the Denver Broncos.

What all of these players have in common is their experience under one or multiple Patriots coaches, and their ability to serve as a veteran presence in a room otherwise including only 22-year-old Drake Maye and 24-year-old Joe Milton. Frankly, that would be the main purpose of adding another QB to the mix: lead, help teach the new system, possibly compete with Milton, and only enter the game in case of emergency.

All five players listed here should be able to do those things. And at the end of the day, one simple truth remains in the NFL: if you are forced to rely on your backup quarterback for an extended period of time, your season has probably already taken a turn for the worse.