Does this signal the end of Jarrett Stidham’s time with Patriots?

The New England Patriots used a fourth-round draft pick on Jarrett Stidham two years ago, and the idea at the time was for him to be the heir apparent to the Tom Brady throne. That has not exactly worked out, and the former Auburn star may wind up looking for work elsewhere this offseason.

The Patriots re-signed Brian Hoyer this week, and it sounds like the veteran backup is confident he will have a roster spot. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Thursday that Hoyer chose sticking with the Patriots over serving as the primary backup behind New York Jets rookie Zach Wilson.

Sounds like the #Patriots gave Brian Hoyer some assurance he'll make the final roster. Which means Jarrett Stidham's time on the Patriots is over unless Belichick is going to keep 4 QBs on the final roster. https://t.co/gDg0F3s1q7

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) May 20, 2021

That means the Patriots now have four quarterbacks, and two seem like they are guaranteed roster spots. Mac Jones obviously isn’t going anywhere, and Belichick has made it clear that Cam Newton is New England’s starter heading into the season. We doubt Belichick will carry more than three quarterbacks on the active roster in Week 1, which means Stidham could be the odd man out.

There were some reports last offseason that the Patriots were high on Stidham, but that is now hard to believe. Newton struggled for most of 2020, yet Stidham never took over as the Patriots’ starter. They have since drafted a QB 15th overall and re-signed their most trusted veteran backup. Don’t be surprised if Stidham is waived in the coming weeks.