Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Friday with Fox: Patriots in on Watt? Free Agency Friday — 2/12/2021

Episode Date: February 12, 2021

The New England Patriots have a number of roster voids to fill this offseason. While quarterback is the hot topic of the day, the Pats defense could be in line for a big boost as well. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Tanya Ray Fox of FS1. The duo discuss the chances that J.J. Watt finds his way to Foxboro, where the Pats might turn to find their 2021 signal caller and their ‘must-haves’ in free agency. Tanya also settles the ‘Brady vs. Bill’ argument, once and for all.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON,” and you’ll get 20% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus. EchelonGo to EchelonFit.com/LockedOn and try any Echelon Fitness equipment at home for 30 days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you Foxborough faithful. You are now locked into the Lockdown Patriots podcast. It is finally Friday, February 12, 2021, and it's the perfect day for a little Fridays with Fox here on your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. Today's episode of Locked On Patriots is brought to you by Bilt Bar.

Go to BiltBar.com and use the promo code LOCKEDON to get 20% off your next order. Thank football and Foxborough. It is Friday, Patriots Nation. And thank you so much for closing out the week in style with me here on Locked On Patriots. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, you know that because it's your team every day,

that means your questions, comments, and feedback are always welcomed and very much appreciated. So share that feedback and send it to the internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there giving the weekend nod and saying how you doing to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Lockdown Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Patriots fans, we're all NFL fans and we're about to enter our first weekend without football since September.

Yeah, it's a rough time of year for NFL fans, but fear not, because here on Locked On Patriots, we will continue to bring you the latest news notes and analysis from Foxborough, as well as each and every offseason storyline. And this morning, folks, a pretty big storyline dropped. Does it concern your New England Patriots? Well, not directly, but it might have an impact. And I'll get into how it might have an impact in just a moment.

But first, as a reminder, and as I said yesterday here on Locked On Patriots, our midweek mailbag episode is in fact still on, and it will be published this weekend. Look for that special edition of Locked On Patriots to drop Saturday evening, so keep a sharp eye on your subscription feed, whether you've subscribed to us on Spotify or on Apple Podcasts. Like I say at the closing of every show, wherever you get your podcasts, be sure to look for the Midweek Mailbag episode to drop,

especially if you're among the great listeners that submitted a question for this week's Midweek Mailbag. But today here on the pod, we're still closing out the week in style. And as you heard me say to open up the pod today, today is a Friday with Fox, as in Tanya Rae Fox of FS1. My good friend joins me here today on the hot seat as we begin the first Free Agent Friday here on Locked on Patriots, and we will hear Tanya's thoughts on which Patriots free agent is a must retain.

We'll also get her thoughts on which available free agent outside of Foxborough she'd like to see wearing Patriot blue here next year. We'll also talk the Patriots quarterback carousel, and this one keeps going around and around, folks. Tanya's been very outspoken on her thoughts, and we'll talk about that today, including why more of the same might not just be a bad thing after all. Already a full agenda, but as Colonel Slade would say in Sensible Woman, I'm just getting warmed up.

Tanya is among the best in the business at diffusing the Tom Brady vs. Bill Belichick narrative. Who's more responsible for the success of the franchise? Tanya keeps it real, and she's got some strong opinions on the subject, and we'll discuss those today. And last but certainly not least, we'll get back to that breaking news I was talking about earlier. And I'm sure that most of you saw this, but for the benefit of those of you who haven't, during the 9 o'clock hour here on the East Coast, NFL Network's Ian Rappaport reported that the Houston Texans had decided to release longtime Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt.

And to say this move sent shockwaves through NFL Twitter is a bit of an understatement. Watt had been a fixture in Houston since the day he was drafted. Originally arrived in Houston as a draft pick in 2011, immediately left his mark on the team and in the league. He's a three-time defensive player of the year in the NFL and five-time first-team All-Pro. Watt appeared in 128 regular season games and eight playoff contests for the Texans. He'll finish his tenure in Houston with a combined 107 sacks and being one of the most productive pass rushers of his era. Now, because of Watt's veteran status,

he becomes a free agent as soon as the release is made official. Now, a lot of people are saying that the Texans were stupid in this case. They didn't trade J.J. Watt. He could have brought back a pretty good trade haul. That's probably true, but J.J. did go to Houston management and requested that this is the way he'd be able to leave Houston. With everything J.J. Watt has done for the Houston Texans organization, particularly the residents of Houston in the aftermath of some of the most devastating storms in history, I think the organization owed it to him to grant his wish, and that's exactly what they did.

But for everyone out there that thinks that the Houston Texans got nothing in return from this, they were in a very precarious salary cap situation. The team is expected to be around $13 million over the cap this year, and the writing on the wall was for J.J. Watt to be let go. So in a lot of ways, it was almost inevitable that these two sides were going to part ways anyway. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported shortly after news broke that J.J. Watt was going to be released is that the Texans would in fact be saving $17.5 million in 2021 cash and salary cap space by releasing J.J. Watt. In fact, NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry indicated on his Twitter feed as well that there is no dead money involved.

So all but being 100% official and showing up on the waiver wire, J.J. Watt is now officially a former Houston Texan. But might he become a New England Patriot? I know all of you out there have been salivating at the thought of getting J.J. Watt to Foxborough. Folks, I'll be honest with you. I would love to see J.J. Watt here in New England. Not only is he still one of the best pass rushers in the league, especially on a team that could really use some help setting the edge, he's also one of the NFL's greatest humanitarians, a phenomenal locker room guy. J.J. Watt is the total package. He's the guy you want playing for your football team. The problem is, if you listen to J.J. Watt's message to his fans that he put out on Twitter

very shortly after word broke that he was being released, is that his decision to leave Houston is all about him trying to pursue a championship. If this had been a couple of years ago, New England probably would have been his preferred destination. Come and play alongside Tom Brady. Have the opportunity to anchor a Bill Belichick defense. Hand and glove fit, right? Well, fast forward to the offseason of 2021, and it's not quite that simple. Tom is off getting drunk on boats in Tampa. I say that with all reverence. You know I love me some Tom Brady. But come on, how many of you didn't laugh at Tom's sea legs over this week? I know I did. But bottom line, Tom is no longer here. And even though there's still a lot of allure, I'm sure, to J.J. Watt to come and play for Bill Belichick, the Patriots are more than just one player away from being Super Bowl contenders.

There are several other teams in the league that are a little more Super Bowl ready right now than our New England Patriots. One of the most logical landing spots for J.J. is the Green Bay Packers. They already have the structure in place. They have the coaching staff, the quarterback. They can make this work under the cap, and J.J. Watt joining that defense would put them in another stratosphere. But Green Bay isn't the only Bay that I'm sure J.J. Watt's going to consider. Don't forget Tampa Bay. All of a sudden, the defending Super Bowl champions might just be the preferred destination for a lot of veteran players that want to go and win a ring.

Who better to win a ring alongside than the guy who already has seven of them? I'm sure J.J. will also have plenty of ring alongside than the guy who already has seven of them? I'm sure J.J. will also have plenty of suitors in the AFC as well. The defending AFC champions, the Kansas City Chiefs might take a flyer on J.J. Watt. After all, but for some better offensive line play and a more solid defensive game plan, the Chiefs might have been right in the thick of things to repeat as Super Bowl champions. The Baltimore Ravens are a possibility. The Tennessee Titans could be an option. Don't forget, J.J. Watt has spent some time playing under Mike Vrabel. That could be an allure for him to go there.

The Buffalo Bills already have a stout defense. They were within an eyelash of making the Super Bowl this year. Does J.J. Watt put them over the top? And last but certainly not least, do not discount the Pittsburgh Steelers. J.J.'s two brothers play in Pittsburgh right now, and even though they're in a pretty precarious situation when it comes to the salary cap, I'm sure they'd be happy to try all they can to manipulate the cap and find a way to make it a Watt triple threat in the Berg. Folks, don't misconstrue what I'm about to say. The Patriots

would love to have JJ Watt. They will inquire on him. They'll go all in on him, and they should. I really hope I'm wrong on this, but I think J.J. Watt is going to get more appealing offers elsewhere that allow him a chance to immediately contend for a Super Bowl, and that's why ultimately I don't see him coming to New England. That being said, stranger things have happened, and we'll continue to monitor the J.J. Watt situation all throughout the weekend, including the very latest in any breaking news, and provide you with that right here on Locked On Patriots. So that's my two cents on the J.J. Watt situation, but what does Tonya Rae Fox have to say about that?

Well, folks, without much further ado, it's my pleasure to welcome the incomparable Tonya Rae Fox right here to this Friday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast when we return in just a moment. But first, Locked On listeners, you've often heard the phrase, often imitated but never duplicated, only the best can provide the best. And the only ones who could provide the best, healthy, low-calorie, and delicious treats are the ones who provided the best of those in the first place.

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Patriots fans, as we've been saying all week long here on the pod, we have not even chipped the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Patriots offseason. And to help me continue our deep dive into the Pats' fate for 2021 is one of my and our favorites here on the pod, someone who's the best at providing spot- insight with razor sharp wit. You know, her great work from platforms such as USA Today, NFL Network, NBC Sports, Boston. I'm just naming a few folks. She is currently providing amazing work for FS1 and her podcast, The Almost Shameless Podcast, is highly recommended by yours. Truly one of my favorite listens. Check it out. I know you will as well. And her podcast, The Almost Shameless Podcast, is highly recommended by yours truly.

One of my favorite listens. Check it out. I know you will as well. And of course, Twitter, get her the blue checkmark. Come on. Stop messing around. Just do it. The incomparable Tanya Rae Fox is back here today on Locked On Patriots. Thank you so much for joining me here today and helping me close out the week in style,

my friend. Oh, it's my pleasure, as always. This is like one of the busier weeks of the year for content because everything is ahead of us in the season. The offseason is a brand new baby, and we have new champions, new Super Bowl champions. So like this week of content is one of my favorite weeks of the year. You know, like everybody gets bummed that the NFL season is over, but I feel really good and super recharged and like excited for this off season. And I've been able to,

I started the week doing a Fox and Fallon reunion on my podcast. Now I'm ending the week doing a Fox and Fallon reunion on my podcast. Now I'm ending the week doing Fox on Fridays on Lockdown. It's just really, really perfect. So thank you for helping me like cap off this wonderful week of content. Oh, my pleasure as always. And folks, I can tell you definitely check that out with Fox and Fallon, of course, Tanya and Courtney Fallon. Those two, when they hit the microphone together, it's something special. And this time around was definitely no change. It was definitely, you know, no less than that.

These two put out a great podcast. And thank you for coming on here today and classing up the joint a little bit as we move toward the weekend. Again, folks, it's a holiday weekend. So you've got plenty of time. You've got an extra day to get that hashtag viral. Hashtag verify TRF. It's the right thing. It's the just thing.

It needs to happen. It's so long overdue, but let's do it. Let's just get it done, folks. Tanya, we're starting with some breaking news today in the NFL, and on Friday morning, Ian Rappaport of the NFL Network reporting that J.J. Watt, longtime Houston Texan, is being released by the Texans. This makes him an immediate free agent. And without question, I opened the pod today to say that he will have no shortage of suitors. Logistically, Green Bay is a good fit.

Tampa Bay, obviously. Chasing a ring with Tom. That could be a war. Pittsburgh. Both of his brothers are there. All potential destinations. And those, to me, are going to be among the most likely of destinations for JJ this time around. But New England should be in the mix. And quite honestly, I think they will be.

The Patriots had a lot of sustained trouble setting the edge last season. Watt coming in here would undoubtedly help that. One of the best locker room players in the NFL, a true legend when it comes to community outreach. Tanya, I do think it's unlikely that he ends up here in New England simply because I think other suitors are going to have more to offer him in terms of a ready-made roster to compete for a championship. But what are your thoughts?

And should Patriots fans have any kind of realistic expectations for J.J. Watt possibly ending up in Foxborough? I wouldn't say realistic expectations is the right word. I think that you're absolutely right. Of course, he is going to be chasing a ring. He has spent 10 years in Houston. I mean. He is a first ballot Hall of Fame talent. Honestly, there have been very few defenders in the league over the last decade that have been so consistently great when they are healthy uh you know like they're really it's like Aaron Donald and then there's a gap but then right there is J.J. Watt I really do believe that he's like one of the most important defenders over the last decade so he deserves to go chase a ring and I

just like you said the Patriots are not currently constituted in a way where he could you know justify making the move from Houston. And then, you know, not that I don't think he wouldn't, I think he'd love to play for Belichick. And I think that it would be actually a pretty good fit for him, like you said. But if you're going to leave Houston, especially, I'm sure you watched his video, Parting Ways with Houston. He has such a tie to that community and those um fans and requesting you know the

McNair family to let him go means the contract with the fans is I'm gonna go get a ring that's why I'm leaving you guys because it's I'm not going to get money I'm not going to you know live a cushy life in Los Angeles to play for the Chargers. I'm going to go chase a ring. And there's only a few teams where that makes the most sense. Like you said, Green Bay makes sense on all levels because it's, you know, it's going back to Wisconsin and you're going to a potential title team. You know, I mean, obviously they came up short this year, but they've got all the pieces in place there. And, you know, I don't, again,

like I have to throw some names out there without fully knowing what their cap situations are off the top of my head at 8.30 in the morning on a Friday. But, you know, the Chiefs, so it's the Chiefs, it's Tampa Bay, it's Green Bay. I don't think the Steelers, to be quite honest, I don't think the Steelers, to be quite honest, I don't think the Steelers make any sense. Until we have a better picture of what their quarterback situation is going to be, if it's

broken down Ben Roethlisberger, there's no chance they win a ring next year. It doesn't happen. So, you know, to me, it's really Chiefs, Rams, I'm sorry, Chiefs, Bucs, Packers, and then I don't know, man. I mean, I guess maybe you could look at the Saints and say if they figure out their quarterback position. I don't know. I mean, they've got a really talented team,

but there's just not a lot. When you look around the league, there's just not a lot of places where you look and say, like next year they're probably going to be in a championship game. So I don't have much to offer in terms of other teams because I do think that it's pretty limited. And those are the places where I can figure out a way to afford him. He's not going to demand a ton of money. He wants the title.

Absolutely. And he does want a title. And I'm glad that you mentioned Pittsburgh because Pittsburgh is in a precarious situation when it comes to cap room the only allure of him being in Pittsburgh is if Ben would you know come out and say look I'm coming back I'm ready to you know reload for a ring let's try to get some pieces around would you come here on a minimum deal to play with your brothers in order to try to chase a ring in the AFC still not an easy task you've got the Kansas City Chiefs standing in your way. You've got the Buffalo Bills standing in your way. A lot of teams right now that are capable of making that type of

run, but they are in a precarious cap situation. So will that preclude them from being able to sign a guy like J.J. Watt? I agree with you. I think Green Bay right now makes so much sense on so many levels. That may be the most logistical fit for J.J. Watt. I'd never discount Tampa Bay simply because if you know you want to chase a ring who better to go to than the go who better to go to than Tom Brady and we will talk a little Tom later on in the program folks but thank you for your insight on J.J. Watt and don't apologize for not having much because I don't think we do have much right now. There are so many question marks on so many teams. It's tough to say this team is in a perfect position to pounce and go all in on him. I think

it's going to be an interesting few couple of days. This may get wrapped up quickly. It may not get wrapped up quickly. And as we speak right now, folks, JJ has yet to sign with another team. By the time you do listen to this podcast, however, he may already have a new home. Who knows? Maybe it is in Foxborough. Maybe not. Again, probably not likely, but we live in hope right here on Locked On Patriots. But the Patriots themselves, Tanya, have a number of areas to address on this roster.

And this is Free Agent Friday, after all, here across the Lockdown Podcast Network. And putting J.J. Watt aside for just a moment, when you look at the available free agents that the Patriots have, and there are some notable names. We've discussed them here before. Joe Tooney, David Andrews, James White, just to name a few off the top of my head. But you also look at the list of available free agents throughout the league, and it's fun to try to play pseudo GM. Put your hat on and insert players here and say, this is the guy that I would love to retain as a member of the Patriots, or this is a pie in the sky signing that I would love to have here in New England. When you look at this list, both from a Patriots perspective and from an NFL perspective, who is your must-have to retain?

And who's the player that you would target on the open market if you were the GM? I think that after watching the Super Bowl and listening to Russell Wilson this week, there is no better proof no greater proof that the offensive line is as important as any part of a team outside the quarterback we already knew that here you know you out there in New England and me out here in Los Angeles uh we know that we already have we've seen this time and time again but the narrative right now is so strong. And the dichotomy between those two teams and the protection that Brady had in that Super Bowl versus what Patrick Mahomes was. I've never seen anything like that. I've never seen a lack of depth at that position lost Patrick Mahomes another ring

potentially, and it was devastating. And we're watching Russell Wilson finally get to his breaking point. I know for a fact that he was up there in that box thinking Tom Brady's barely, nobody's even blinked in his direction. Like he didn't even, I mean, he barely got, he barely got even looked at by a defender in that game. And I know that it's, it's finally getting to a breaking point with him. So if you're going to take that and you're going to look at the Patriots and

you want to build it, you want to build a team. And we've talked about this before without a full rebuild, we're not trying to go, it's like a soft sort of reset here. The offensive line is the most important thing you can do. You have two guys who are better than anybody on the market in Joe Tooney and David Andrews who are, I don't know if they're going to be able to have both. I don't, but what you need to prioritize one of, one of those guys. It's just, I don't know how you could make an argument that Joe Tooney or David Andrews aren't,

and probably Joe Tooney to that extent, isn't the most important player to retain. Now, they're good at drafting a position. They're good at building there. But I really think after this season, Belichick's not looking to fall further behind. I think Belichick wants to be back in the playoffs in 2021. So now is no time. You've got no time to waste. You've got to keep your pieces.

And the offensive line is incredibly important. I think that they have to figure out what they want to do with J.C. Jackson on defense. He's a restricted free agent. We don't, you know, I imagine that they place a little bit more value in him than they did Malcolm Butler when they came upon this situation a few years ago.

But that's important to figure out what you're going to do there. Are you going to move on from Stephon Gilmore with what are the plans on that front? So those two players to me are where I'm kind of like focused on what their plans are. If I'm a GM, those are guys that I feel are building blocks for another potential run, you know, playoff run. On the other side, honestly, they're not – you said pie in the sky, and I'm thinking, like, oh, my God, pie in the sky is very different

than where my head is at every time I try to play GM for the Patriots because, you know, they don't generally go for those guys so uh you know my in of the free agents that are out there you there's a couple of tight ends I have my eye on if I'm a GM Hunter Henry um has a a pretty low floor with the injuries but a high ceiling in terms of talent. And I actually really liked Johnny Smith. I think he's been fairly underutilized in Tennessee. So I would love to see them get a nice tight end plugged in there. Someone who's an immediate starter. And those are,

you know, especially Johnny Smith. I think, I think it's like, cause really the biggest thing that's happened with him is he just hasn't been getting the targets in Tennessee. But, you know, pie in the sky. Well, I'm going to take the opportunity to go there, and I'm going to say I want them to trade for Russell Wilson.

How about that? I want them to trade for Russell Wilson. That's really what I want. But, of course, like, that, you know, that comes with its own set of ridiculous, you know, it's a sort of nearly impossible scenario. But you know us, you know us in the NFL media. If you're going to give us a tiny, tiny little crumb, we're going to try to make a meal out of it. And Russell Wilson gave us a crumb.

And I, like ever since he started talking, can't stop thinking about the fact that like if Russell Wilson can force his way out of there, is there a chance he goes to play for Bill Belichick? I don't know. But I, my, I, it's after watching what Brady just did in Tampa Bay, like there's a part of my childhood Patriots fan brain that is grasping at straws. And I've enjoyed living in a world where Russell Wilson goes to the Patriots, at least in my mind, for a little bit. So that's my pie in the sky. But realistically, I think a couple of those tight ends would be good targets

for the Patriots. And I also think that Clowney might be someone to look at as well, former Alabama guy. And he's a good run defender. His pass defense has been a little bit of an issue, but he's still a pretty good run defender. They need someone off the edge. Like you said, they're probably not going to get J.J. Watt.

And he'll come cheap. I don't think he's going to get the money he thinks he's going to get. So a shorter deal and, you know, go play for Belichick, who you know you'll probably be able to deal with his system and see what happens you know we're like-minded in so many ways and this is one of the big reasons why i love having you on not only do you bring the information that everybody needs including myself but we are very like-minded look russell wilson pie in the sky i like it as a pie in the sky as well and i'll

tell you why look at his cap implication for the next three years in 2021 he'd count 19 million against the cap 2022 24 million against the cap in 2023 he'd count 26 million against the cap when you're the new england patriots right now with 63 of almost 64 million dollars in projected cap space available thank you to Miguel for the cap that's cap for providing that for me um all of a sudden it looks realistic now will the Seattle Seahawks trade Russell Wilson that's the big question and ultimately I think he ends up staying put I can't see Seattle not sitting him down working this out with him trying to build that offensive line to a point where he feels comfortable.

Now, if they don't, all bets are off. And say what you will about the New England Patriots, Tanya, but one area where they didn't particularly struggle last year was the offensive line. That offensive line was solid. Even after the retirement of Dante Skarnecchia, Cole Popovich, Carmen Brassoa were still able to get those guys to play at a high level. Michael Wainu turned into a tremendous star for this team, and he's only going to continue to rise. You mentioned Joe Tooney. Obviously, I would love to be able to retain him. Word that I'm getting from the Patriots camp, or I shouldn't say the Patriots camp, but people that I've spoken to close to that situation have said that there hasn't been a lot of dialogue between those two sides.

I don't know if it's realistic for him to come back next year. That pains me because I love Joe Tooney in a Patriots uniform. It's going to be tough to see him go elsewhere, but I think he's ready to break the bank and I think he's ready to go out and get that big time deal. David Andrews is the guy I prioritize in that situation. Like you said, you have to prioritize one of the two. And I think it's more realistic to bring back Andrews. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. David is a tremendous center. He's a great team leader, good locker room guy, always the top motivator on that offensive line. You keep him in the mix and all of a sudden you can bring guys in that can tell the line and they still have a good amount of talent they're mixed in uh maybe justin heron takes that step and becomes the

lineman that they thought he was going to be this year showed some promise as a rookie he's an option um as far as realistic targets on that uh free agent line you mentioned the guy i would love to have here and that is hunter henry i covered him in my days covering the Chargers, and I just love the fit that this kid could bring to the New England Patriots, both as a blocker, as a receiving tight end. He can do it all. I wouldn't mind seeing John O'Smith here either. I think he's been underutilized, like you said,

and I'd love to see him here in New England as well. So, again, we are like-minded, and it's always fun, but I think you bring some excellent excellent points and i'm always intrigued by what you have to say it's always a pleasure when you stop by here to the pod and you've given us some awesome free agent insight tanya as you always do but this offseason is shaping up to be a chess match and everyone wants to talk quarterbacks we've talked a little rus Russell Wilson, but in just a moment, Tanya Rae Fox and I will discuss the burning question in Foxborough

and which way she realistically sees the Patriots addressing that need. That and much more when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Locked On listeners, football games might be over, but the NBA, college basketball, and the NHL are in full swing. And as for that equivalent of the NFL hot stove, things are about to get heated up. J.J. Watt is on the move. Where will be his next destination? Maybe you're confident in your prognostication skills and want to make a little on it. Well, if that seems to be something you're interested in, then there's only one place that has you covered and one place we trust.

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Patriots fans, I'm honored as always to be joined today by Tanya Ray Fox of FS1 and the Almost Shameless podcast. And Tanya, from the moment that the Pat season ended, there's been nonstop speculation on the Patriots quarterback situation heading into this 2021 season. The fan base is split at best. I'm probably being generous when I say that, but split at best when it comes to either re-signing Cam Newton or giving Jared Stenum a chance to compete for the starting job once again. And there are actually conflicting reports out there on both.

With Cam, early indications were that the Patriots were moving on. And now recent reports, including Mike Reese of ESPN Boston, With Cam, early indications were that the Patriots were moving on. And now recent reports, including Mike Reese of ESPN Boston, who we both hold in the highest regard when it comes to matters like this, indicates that Cam re-signing with the team is still very much on the table. Stidham actually became the forgotten man in all of this. I think a lot of people just relegated themselves to saying, Jarrett's going to be a backup, no question about it. We recently saw him working out with quarterbacks guru Jordan Palmer, posted that on social media a couple of days ago, and now

there's some talk he might be in the mix to once again complete for the starting job. And of course, the outside options have all been discussed. We've heard Jimmy Garoppolo coming back, we've heard Marcus Mariota, we've heard about Carson Wentz, even top of the heat dreams like we just talked about in Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Dak Prescott. Pretty much every available quarterback is going to be rumored to New England at some point. Tanya, you always bring the knowledge, but you always keep it real, and I appreciate that about you. That's why you're the perfect person to answer this question. What should the Patriots do with the quarterback position? And ultimately, what do you think they will do? Well, you know, should and will are always an interesting thing with the Patriots, because when I say should, I'm saying that I know what, you know, what Bill Belichick should do as if I am a better GM than he is,

which I am not, of course. I, to me, I, every team in the NFL should give up as much as they possibly need to, to sign Deshaun Watson. So that's, that's number one. That's what every single team without Deshaun Watson, unless you're the chief should be doing right. Like if you're the, if you're not the chief or the Seahawks or, you know, maybe Green Bay, right.

Just give up whatever you need to give up to get Deshaun Watson. If the Patriots aren't going to do that, which they are not, then you go from there. I don't want anything to do with Carson Wentz. I don't want anything to do with Jimmy Garoppolo. There's no chance in hell Jimmy Jones lets Dak Prescott go play for Robert Kraft in New England. He would sign him to $50 million a year just to not let that happen. And, you know, so then when you start looking at the options, I was a little intrigued when it looked like maybe Derek Carr would be on the trading block.

But it looks like it's potentially just a Mariota situation or bust. They don't want to cart ways with Carr, which they shouldn't. But I really like Derek Carr. And so I was hoping maybe that would be an option. It's looking less and less like it is. So where does that leave us, Mike? It leaves us back exactly where you said, talking about Ryan Fitzpatrick, talking about Cam Newton, and then, you know, is Stidham still in the mix, or maybe they dropped a young guy to come in behind one of those vets,

either Fitzpatrick or Newton. To me, I don't know why you bring in Ryan Fitzpatrick. If you're going to have a veteran guy to try to get you through a season and get you to the playoff, it makes no sense to me to sign Ryan Fitzpatrick instead of Cam Newton. I understand that half the fan base thinks Cam Newton can't complete a five-yard pass. It's not true. I don't know where this narrative developed that Cam Newton can't pass. There's literal tape from him playing in a Patriots uniform that makes it clear that's not true. So I don't even want to play in that. I don't even want to get into the mix there.

Is he a flawed passer? Yes. Is he limited in certain ways? Yes. Are there schemes and ways to work with Cam Newton that make him much more potent than somebody as, as high and low and mistake prone as Ryan Fitzpatrick? Of course, Cam Newton is always a better choice than somebody who's been on seven

different teams because they're filler. Like I don't, I like Ryan Fitzpatrick a lot. He's cool. He's fun. I'm not going to be, like, up in arms if that's what they decide to do. But to me, if I'm thinking as an NFL GM about what I actually want to do and if I actually want to build a system that can work for the season and

potentially beyond, like, Ryan Fitzpatrick is closing in on 40. What are we doing? I don't want to do this. You know, unless their plan is to get someone as cheap as humanly possible. And then, like you said, like, go try to trade for Russell Wilson or somebody the next year. And you can't count on that. So it brings me back to Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham. And I think that you draft somebody, you know, the Patriots will probably draft somebody in whatever lower round they want to draft. I would like to see them go at least like second or third round, you know, in the Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett area of the draft to really see if they can bring in somebody who can pop and compete um but it I just feel like if we've just done the math I've just done the math with you right now if their options come down to Ryan Fitzpatrick or Cam Newton it's a no-brainer to me

you keep I I realize how terrifying it is for fans to go into next season with potentially Cam Newton Jarrett Stidham and then a you know a rookie and and and that's all you've got especially after what the patriots just did but you can't create a quarterback out of thin air and you have to decide whether you think your quarterback of the future is in the first round of the draft and whether you want to go get them and whether you can. And I just don't think the Patriots are in a position to do that. I haven't. I don't, I mean, I don't know what you think about Mac Jones, but I, I don't know if that's the answer.

I want to see them. I, I just, I have no problem with them taking another off season, really getting through another, like hopefully getting a real camp and a real off season, a real preseason with Cam Newton. And like you said, if we, if we go get the tight end from the go get the guys that, you know, that can help compliment Cam Newton specifically big guys, fast guys, things are going to start looking a little bit different. And let's be honest, we just watched Tom Brady play like it was 2012 again,

after struggling really, really, like really struggling in that 2019 offense. So there's something broken in the system that they've been running the past couple of years. They don't have the talent and McDaniels has got to switch it up. We know that Tom Brady could have played much better in 2019 than he did. And they plugged Cam Newton into that basically, you know, with very little changes, a similar-looking offense with no preseason,

never having played for the team, with no fans. And it was just a disastrous way to start, and I still really liked what I saw. I know I'm ranting here, but I know you're going to have listeners who are pissed that I'm saying this, and I really want to make it clear. I promise you it is not as bad as people are trying to make it sound. I promise you Cam Newton can be a very good starting quarterback again. No, and I have said very similar things here on Locked On Patriots that the resigning of

Cam Newton is not the death knell of this franchise. What I think a lot of the fan base has to realize is that this team is not simply a quarterback away from being a Super Bowl contender. Will it make them better with better quarterback play, like bringing in a guy like a Deshaun Watson or a Russell Wilson? Absolutely. That's going to elevate you to a level that you weren't at in 2020. The problem is, is I don't think even that gives you the opportunity to compete or be a Super Bowl contender because there's still too many holes to fill on this roster, both on the offense and on the defense. You made a very good point about something being

wrong in the offensive game planning. We saw Tom Brady struggle mightily here in 2019, goes to Tampa, all of a sudden looks like a different quarterback. You look at what Cam Newton had to deal with this year as well. There is definitely something that needs to be addressed. It needs to be looked at. Now, did that come from a lack of otas a lack of preseason a lack of preparation time last year i think yeah a lot of that will be is some of it on cam newton shoulders definitely we've seen him put passes at receivers feet we've seen him bounce them we've seen him not complete passes you acknowledge that he is a flawed passer, but at the same time, there's still a lot that he does well. And look at tape of him in Seattle in week two in the 2020 NFL season. Look at some of the last game that he played against the New York Jets. These do give you some sort of hope, I guess is the best way for me to put it, that Cam Newton coming in here is not necessarily a poor decision. I completely agree with you.

I think if you're going to go with a middle-of-the-road option, why not go with the commodity you know as opposed to the commodity you don't know? And right now, I don't think Cam Newton coming back would be catastrophic for this team, or at least not as catastrophic as people are making it out to be. Fans have to be realistic about their chances of competing this year. And I think Cam gives you as best a chance as competing at the level that you can than pretty much anybody else out there, other than the top of the road options like a Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson. To me, those are the two guys that would put you over the top. And I don't think their realistic chances are anywhere realistic enough to be able to get them.

Tonya, you mentioned Tom. And you know what? I think we'll take us into the weekend talking a little Tom Brady. We've been doing a little living in the past here this week in Patriots Nation. Obviously, you watch Tom Brady hoist his seventh Lombardi trophy. Drunken exploits aside on the boat, folks, this is a truly remarkable feat. And to do it at the age that he's doing it is really unbelievable. We've seen Tom succeed in his first year at Tampa, maybe more success than a lot of us thought he was going to have.

This fan base in New England now is clamoring for that type of success they've had for the past two decades. They're looking at Tom and Gronk celebrating down in Tampa and saying that could have been us. It should have been us. First of all, folks, I don't even think Tom and Gronk on these teams would have made much of a difference in terms of the Patriots ascending to that level. They would have ran into some difficulties as well. That Tampa Bay team is stacked with talent from top to bottom. But we're also seeing the Brady-Belichick argument start to pop back up again. If I see another less than or greater than symbol attached to these tweets, I may smash my screen. I'm really, really tired of seeing this narrative. To me, the answer is

simple. Brady and Belichick, both better together than they were apart. To engage in this kind of back and forth to me is just exhausting. And we've talked about this before, but maybe to put a foot on this once and for all, Tanya, why does this continue to be a narrative where people have to constantly compare Brady and Bill in terms of their responsibility for the Patriots' success? Well, it's a win-win for people who resented the Patriots' dynasty, which is, you know, they have to accept that Brady just won another ring, but they can accept that as long as it's a way to detract from the Patriots themselves, Bill Belichick,

and Patriots fans who they despise, right? So this is great. This is great. The fracture is actually something that they've recognized as a weakness and an insecurity among Patriots fans, and they're pouncing on it. And it's also another one of the debates. It's the same reason that we've all been doing Michael Jordan versus LeBron for the last like 12 years, which is like, once you find a good, a good debate that gets people mad, you'll do it until, until there's no, just no other

argument. Right. But I, you know, I think the, I think the thing that people are missing is, you know, there is, when it comes to Belichick and Brady, everybody agrees that Belichick's the greatest coach of all time. And they agree that Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time. And so there is a cognitive dissonance in trying to argue which one is more responsible for a 20-year dynasty, right? It's like the idea that Brady going to a team with a top five defense in DVOA last season and an offensive line that was already stacked before they got Tristan Wirth, that was on purpose. Brady picked a team he could win a Super Bowl with because he played on a team that won Super Bowls for 20 years.

He came out of a system and an organizational structure where he learned from the greatest coach of all time what a Super Bowl winning roster looks like. And he committed himself over the course of 20 years to making sure that the teams around him were as strong as humanly possible. So I never took the biggest contract. It's why he always was a part of that process in that way. And he did the same thing. He just took that thing that he learned in New England and brought it to a team that was essentially a quarterback away from being Super Bowl contending.

And then he added his little sprinkle of Gronk. And I'm not going to talk about the receiver he added because I'm sick of talking about him. But that was also there. You know, you add a little Leonard Fournette, all of a sudden you've got a Super Bowl team. That's amazing. Now we've got to talk about what the Bucs do going forward

because winning one ring when you go to a team that gives you all of the tools you need is great. Brady's passing was incredible this year. I am not taking that away from him. I was shocked how good he was. I have to be honest. I watched the guy for 20 years. I still couldn't believe that he was that good at passing the ball this year.

It honestly blows my mind. But that defense won them the Super Bowl. That defense beat MVP Aaron Rodgers, then beat the best player in the NFL, absolutely destroyed Patrick Mahomes. That was what Brady was counting on. That was what he was counting on, was that he had a team that would step up in those moments,

because he can't single-handedly take down Patrick Mahomes. He can't get after Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. He can't do those things. He knew what he was doing, and that is all a part of what he became over 20 years. So you can keep trying to extricate them from each other. You can keep trying to act like Brady came out of thin air, a perfect NFL quarterback, and, you know, floated his way down to Buccaneers, and he could have gone anywhere, and he would have done this.

But anybody who's saying those words knows they're not true. They are, as I said on Fox and Fallon this week, bad faith arguments. Nobody who actually says them believes them. It's just a way to get people mad. If you can tell me who's a better coach than Bill Belichick, if you can give me an answer on who that is, then maybe I'll start having a conversation with you. But until you can tell me there's a better NFL coach than Bill Belichick that you've ever seen, then stop having the argument because it's stupid. And I'm tired of it. And like you said, there is, it's a lot of just like, what are we trying to get out of this conversation because you know if the

insinuation is that brady can go win another couple rings and create a dynasty on the box i'm really interested to see how they're going to do it because shaq barrett and levante david and gronk and in diamond can sue and leonard fournette and a b and chris godwin are all free agents so something's going to change. People have to like, there there's so much more to this. I just don't, if, if, if you want to have a one layered argument, I can't stop you. And Mike, you can't stop people either. If they only want to exist on a surface level, you can't get it to go much further.

But if you want to dive a little deeper, I'm perfectly happy to have that conversation until then let's be loud guys yell at each other on the radio and you know, and we'll stay out of it. I love it. And you know what? A perfect note to end today's. That was perfect. I can't even add anything to that. So I'm just going to let it sit because once again, you, you, you hit the nail directly on the head, exactly where it needed to be hit. Tanya, what can I say?

I thank you so much for joining me here today on Locked On Patriots. Again, helping me close out the week in style here on the pod. Before I let you go, my friend, please let all of our listeners know, because we do have a lot of new listeners here on Locked On Patriots in the course of the last couple of weeks. Where can they find you? Where can they find your great work? And what do you have coming up on the horizon in the last couple of weeks. Where can they find you? Where can they find your great work? And what do you have coming up on the horizon

in the coming days and weeks? You can find me at Tanya Ray Fox on Twitter and Instagram. And my podcast, Almost Shameless with Tanya Ray Fox, it's on everything that you can listen to on podcasts. You can find the page for that at ShamelessTRF on Twitter and Instagram. And we have a new podcast. Like I said, it came out this week, there's going to be some video content coming out from that conversation I had with Courtney Fallon as well. So that'll be pumping

out pretty soon. A lot more video content underway. So that's really just, you know, stuff to look out for. And meanwhile, I'm tweeting almost every day. So if you are interested in more of that, just, I mean, Twitter is where I'm spending so much of my time these days outside of the podcast. So that's where you can find me. Absolutely. And again, folks, if you are on Twitter and you happen to come across some of Tanya's great content there, whether it be tweets, whether it be shows that she's tweeting out or whatever, add the hashtag VerifyTRF. We've got to get this

done. Jack, I know you're listening. Jack's a big fan, big fan of Locked On Patriots, and I know he's going to verify you very shortly. But all kidding aside, my friend, it's always my honor, always my privilege to have you join me here on the pod. You always raise the level of class and intellect on this podcast,

and I, for one, cannot thank you enough for that. Stay safe, stay well, and I look forward to talking ball with you here again on Locked on Patriots very soon. In the meantime, once again, thank you for your vision today. It's always, always my honor. Thank you, Mike, and hopefully next time we talk, the Patriots have a quarterback and we can start to move forward.

So, you know, fingers crossed. Put some of the narratives to rest. I love it. I absolutely love it. From your lips to God's ears. Hopefully that will be the case next time we talk. All right, Mike. Thanks again.

And so Patriots Nation, we put a bow on the week that was here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, but we are just scratching the surface when it comes to the Patriots offseason. Don't forget that a special edition of the midweek mailbag episode of Locked On Patriots will be dropping this weekend. Keep a sharp eye on your subscription feed and the Locked On Patriots Twitter feed for details on that. And of course, Locked On Patriots will continue our deep dive into the 2021 Patriots offseason, including bringing you the latest news notes and analysis from Foxborough.

So to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, download and subscribe to the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as Spotify, Radio.com, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure that you're staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend Tanya Rae Fox for her time, her insight, and her appearance on today's pod. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage.

Until next week, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, continue to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great weekend, everyone.