Belichick coy on QB situation: 'Never know what's going to happen'

Tom Brady is now the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and his successor with the New England Patriots is still to be determined.

In characteristic fashion, however, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick continues to keep his cards close to his chest.

"It's where we are. You never know what's going to happen down the road," Belichick told NFL Network's Rich Eisen on Thursday when asked about his quarterback situation for the 2020 season. "But we feel like we have four good players there."

He added: "We'd like to work with all those guys, and we'll see how it goes."

Second-year passer Jarrett Stidham is the favorite to land the top job despite his lack of pedigree. The 2019 fourth-round pick is a relative unknown, but after bringing back Brian Hoyer in what appears to be a mentorship role, the Patriots are seemingly uninterested in adding another veteran option.

"Stid worked really hard last year ... I know he's working hard in the offseason," Belichick said. "He's made a lot of progress in terms of understanding our offense and understanding opponent defenses, like all players do from Year 1 to Year 2. I'm sure he'll get out there and be ready to go, be prepared, and compete hard, and we'll see where it takes us."

Stidham flashed potential in four preseason games last season, completing 61 of 90 passes for 731 yards and four touchdowns against one interception (102.6 passer rating). He threw just four passes in the regular season.

Belichick's confidence in Stidham has become more apparent after the Patriots sat back and watched experienced candidates like Andy Dalton and Jameis Winston take backup roles with the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints, respectively.

New England is also reportedly not eyeing a move for Cam Newton.

With only $1.64 million in available cap space - the third-least in the league, according to Over The Cap - the Patriots opted to bolster their quarterback group with two undrafted free agents, adding Brian Lewerke and J'Mar Smith after not taking a passer during the draft.