With the 2018 season in the books, the Providence Journal will take a look at each position group on the Patriots, analyzing how the team performed in 2018 and where it might be heading in the future. We'll start with quarterbacks.
Quarterbacks: Tom Brady; Brian Hoyer; Danny Etling
Contract situation: The Patriots are in uncharted territory with Brady.
Typically, in the past, the team has extended Brady with two years left on his contract. This past year, that didn’t happen. Brady, 41, enters 2019 on the final year of his deal. He’s set to earn a base salary of $14 million and count as a $27 million cap hit. For a player who’s earned below his true market value for the bulk of his career, Brady’s cap hit is high.
As of now, that $27 million cap hit is almost double the second highest mark on the team (Stephon Gilmore, $14.837 million). For the Patriots, a priority this offseason should be to extend Brady and lower his 2019 salary and cap hit. That would clear up more cap space for the Patriots to use in free agency or on their own free agents.
Hoyer also enters 2019 on the final year of his deal. The backup quarterback’s base salary and cap hit more than doubles next season. His base goes from $915,000 in 2018 to $2.8 million in 2019. The cap hit goes from $915,000 to $3 million. The Patriots defense raved about Hoyer’s ability to prepare them for opposing defense’s this past season, so it’d be a surprise if the Patriots didn’t agree to keep him around at that rate.
Etling finished the 2018 season on the practice squad and was signed to a futures contract. He enters this season with a cap hit of $495,000.
2018 review: It wasn’t always pretty for Brady during the 2018 season, but you can’t argue with the outcome – a sixth Super Bowl championship.
Brady’s numbers dipped this past season compared to his MVP campaign in 2017. Still, his 4,355 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 97.7 quarterback rating were good enough for a Pro Bowl bid and amazing when you consider he was 41.
Brady struggled without Julian Edelman during the first four weeks of the season. His life didn’t get easier when Josh Gordon was suspended. Losing Danny Amendola and Brandin Cooks also hurt the passing game, so it’s tough to put Brady’s slight decline in numbers all on him. Also, when it mattered most – AFC Championship game and Super Bowl LIII – Brady was there to lead the Patriots.
Hoyer appeared in five games in 2018. He threw two passes, completing one for seven yards. His biggest contribution, however, came on the scout team. Devin McCourty raved about Hoyer following the defense’s dominating 13-3 performance in Super Bowl LIII. Hoyer gave the defense such a good impression of Rams quarterback Jared Goff in the practices leading up to the Super Bowl that the Patriots defense felt more than prepared to shut down the L.A. offense.
Etling was cut after training camp, but the seventh-round pick stuck around on the practice squad. He was seen on the field before every game working out. It was also reported that Bill Belichick gave the rookie special projects to do throughout the season.
The future: Brady will turn 42-years-old in training camp. It’s impossible to know how long he’ll continue to play (even if he maintains he’ll do so to age 45).
What we do know is that Brady is back for the 2019 season. We know that the Pats also have a veteran backup who runs the scout team very efficiently. The Pats spent a draft pick on a quarterback last year, but don’t be shocked if that happens, again.
The Patriots will march into the 2019 draft with six picks in the first three rounds (first, two seconds and three thirds). They’ll have plenty of ammo to move. It would be a good idea to find another young quarterback in those upper rounds to develop behind Brady. After all, a rookie comes into the league with a cheap four-year deal. If he’s a first-round pick, there’s also a fifth-year option.
Adding a young talented quarterback to learn from Brady over the next four years could set up the Patriots long-term future. Of course, finding that next starting quarterback won’t be easy.