For the past 19 years of football dominance, Gillette Stadium has been Tom Brady’s super bowl stronghold. From the sunny opening days to the teeth-chattering winter fiascos, the New England Patriots have weathered the storm that has been cast against them by almost every NFL franchise since 2002 when Tom Brady won his first of six Super Bowls. Ever since Tom Brady threw his last spiral as a Patriot, that same storm that the Patriots have weathered for so many years has evolved into an uncontrollable natural disaster. Before Bill Belichick can refurbish his team back into winning condition, he must traverse his aged boat out of Tom Brady’s harbor and into a younger quarterback’s awaiting dock.

As of right now, the quarterback position is filled by an aging Cam Newton. Newton is not the same Superman that once was leaping into the end zone on SportsCenter’s top ten plays. In fact, he might have already been exposed to his kryptonite: injuries. His serious injury history spans back to 2014 when he tore his pedal ankle ligament, and he underwent surgery to repair it. From then on out he recorded a laundry list of major injuries that include the following: a back vertebrae fracture, a chest rib fracture, a head cranial concussion, and two major shoulder tears. No matter how tough or gritty Newton appears to be, his whole MVP bravado was centered around his electrifying runs through brick walls of 240-pound tackling machines; however, the problem is that he cannot continue this risky playing style into his 30’s. Instead of using his legs to produce, he has had to adapt to utilizing his arm more effectively. That’s where the Newton train stops. The fact is that he cannot step up in the pocket and make the necessary adjustments to stay healthy throughout a 16 game NFL season. In other words, he simply doesn’t possess an accurate, modern-day NFL arm. 

After Cam Newton’s name is scratched out, the next economically sound decision would be to find their next franchise quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft. With a projection to pick around 13th or 15th overall, Belichick would either have to concede and pick Trey Lance or trade up for a more polarizing player in Justin Fields. In order to apply for the Justin Fields sweepstakes, the Patriots would need to give away some vital assets like a draft pick or a high caliber player (possibly even both). Whichever team picks Trevor or Justin will notice a sudden trend in parents naming their kid’s Trevor or Justin. Trey Lance has been projected to be picked up right behind them; yet another quarterback by the name of Kyle Trask has been slowly sneaking into the deep end of Mel Kiper’s Big Board. “Steady as she goes” might be the best way to describe the Trask’s innovative playing style. His nickname should be “textbook” because he embodies a play style in which doesn’t give up the ball very often, and—rather than putting together only one flashy drive a game—he does the right thing every drive down the field. Out of all the tools in his toolbox, the most impressive feature to his game is his ability to read the pre-snap complex formations of SEC defenses. Even though he probably won’t be the prized possession of the 2021 draft, Trask seems like the kind of quarterback that Bill Belichick would drool over in a Patriots uniform.

If the answer isn’t in Foxboro or the draft, then the only other option would be to find a quarterback in the free agency market. Free agency would require the most money out of all the other options, but the effort aspect would not need to be there. Dak Prescott is the clear prize of the 2021 quarterback free agency class and while his compound ankle fracture hurts his overall potential value, the bidding ceiling for his talent will be too much to handle for a Patriots team with a salary cap around 42 million dollars. After Prescott, the 2021 free agency class looks a lot like a dull mixture of players. There is Jameis Winston, Jacoby Brisket, Tyrod Taylor, and a ton more players that no one can see suiting up for the Patriots in the future. 

If I wore Bill Belichick’s sleeveless hoodies, I would ultimately elect to draft Kyle Trask in the first round of the draft. To me Trask exhibits pro-style mental prowess that will elevate him to new levels as an NFL quarterback under one of the best coaches to ever wear the headset. Although the Patriots would be missing out on two elite quarterbacks, they still wouldn’t have to give up any assets to put around Trask.

All in all, the skinny kid from Michigan will never come around again.

Kyle Trask is the answer.