The New England Patriots locked up one of their backup quarterbacks for the next two seasons. What does that mean for the other?
Jarrett Stidham is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The 2019 fourth-round draft pick did not play a snap during the 2021 season, missing the first two months following back surgery and then sitting out the final eight games as a healthy scratch.
Had Brian Hoyer retired or left in free agency, Stidham would have been in line to become Mac Jones’ primary understudy in 2022. But with Hoyer re-signing on a two-year contract reportedly worth up to $4 million with $3 guaranteed — a deal that should lock him into a roster spot for the upcoming season — Stidham suddenly becomes expendable.