NFL Rumors: Patriot's Bill Belichick could turn to QB Ryan Fitzpatrick in Free Agency

One man who will not be enjoying the NFL playoffs this year is Patriots coach, Bill Belichick.

After an era of unprecedented dominance in the AFC, which included x9 AFC Conference championships and x6 Super Bowl victories, New England decided to let legendary quarterback, Tom Brady leave for Tampa, and the end result of that was a 3rd place finish in the AFC East.

Former Panthers' QB, Cam Newton was the man selected to fill Brady's boots last season, but he struggled to accurately throw the ball; his shoulder is clearly still not right, and the Patriots offense suffered as a result. To put things into context, Dak Prescott (who played just 5 games for the Cowboys before suffering an ankle injury) threw more TD passes (9) than Cam (8) managed in the entire season!

Pro Football Focus predicts bizarre landing spot for Cam Newton in 2021 https://t.co/XYkvqptz1w

— The Patriots Wire (@Patriots_Wire) January 13, 2021

NFL Rumors: Ryan Fitzpatrick might be a good short term solution for Bill Belichick and the Patriots

So, with SuperCam likely to move on to fresh pasteurs, New England coach, Bill Belichick is going to need another grizzled vet to stand behind the line. Pro Football Focus journalists believe the Patriots may well be interested in bringing Dolphins QB, Ryan Fitzpatrick to the Gilette Stadium in time for the 2021-22 campaign. Fitzpatrick is out of contract in Miami and heading into freeagency.

If this were to happen, it would mean that 38-year-old Fitzpatrick would have represented all four teams in the AFC East (Bills, Jets, Dolphins... so far) during his volatile career.

Fitzpatrick finished the year with 2,091 yards and 13 touchdowns (with 8 picks) after being stripped of his starting role in favor of Miami's number 5 pick from last year's draft, Tua Tagovailoa. Fitzpatrick took the news well, adapted into his new role as a 'teacher,' and seemed to be a real ally for the Dolphin's rookie-QB.

Tua Tagovailoa:64.1% completion1,814 yards on 290 attempts6.3 yards per completion11 TD'sRyan Fitzpatrick:✅68.5% completion✅2,091 yards on 267 attempts✅7.8 yards per completion✅13 TD'sSorry, but if you're getting outplayed by a 38yo lumberjack you aren't elite.

— Dave Kluge (@dkluge90) January 16, 2021

Having seen how Fitz played in the first half of the season and how he responded to adversity in the second half, coach Belichick could look to bring the veteran in on a stopgap year to help take the pressure off Jarett Stidham and whomever they opt to select from the NFL Draft (surely Pats and Belichick will take a QB, right?).

Ryan Fitzpatrick is not the only QB being linked with a move to Massacussetts, though: Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) and former-Pat, Jimmy Garoppolo (San Francisco 49ers) are also thought to be under consideration and could form a part of Belichick's plans.

Only time will tell...