The New England Patriots don’t have a sure thing at quarterback in 2020, but that might change in 2021. According to oddsmakers in Vegas, current Houston Texans starting quarterback Deshaun Watson is the favorite to start for New England in the 2021 season. Watson is one of the best young quarterbacks in the league and should keep the Patriots competitive for the next decade, assuming they can get their hands on him.
Deshaun Watson the Favorite to Start for New England Patriots
The current favorites for the 2021 starting position is as follows:
- Deshaun Watson +300
- Jarrett Stidham +500
- Trevor Lawrence +500
- Kyle Trask +700
- Dak Prescott +900
Obviously, the odds aren’t great for any single player, but it’s interesting that Watson tops the list. Watson is currently entering the fourth year of a five-year rookie deal, and Houston could theoretically use the franchise tag to keep him under team control for years to come. However, head coach and acting general manager Bill O’Brien has made quite a few head-scratching decisions since earning complete control of the franchise.
Earlier this week, O’Brien sent DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals for essentially nothing and had some troubling comments emerge in the wake of the move. This was far from O’Brien’s only questionable move since taking over the roster. Basically, if anyone’s dumb enough to trade away a young franchise quarterback entering the prime of his career, it’s Bill O’Brien.
As for the other favorites, Jarrett Stidham is currently atop New England’s depth chart, and the 2019 fourth-rounder could keep the job if he performs well in 2020. Trevor Lawrence is the top collegiate quarterback in the nation, and the Patriots would need to intentionally lose games to secure his services. Kyle Trask is currently the starting quarterback for the Florida Gators. He projects as a first-round quarterback but isn’t on the same level as Lawrence. Dak Prescott is the Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback, and Jerry Jones seems reluctant to hand him a long-term deal.
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