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Breer: Why It Could Make Sense for Patriots to Sign Baker Mayfield

Breer: Why it could make sense for Pats to sign Baker Mayfield originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Should the New England Patriots bring in another quarterback to compete with Mac Jones next summer?

Jones impressed as a rookie, but the 2021 first-round draft pick has taken a step back in his sophomore campaign. While some of the blame can be placed on the questionable play-calling, it's tough to feel confident in Jones as the long-term solution heading into 2023.

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If Bill Belichick decides to add another signal-caller, there will be a handful of options in free agency. Among them is ex-Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has impressed through three games with the Los Angeles Rams.

Mayfield led a 98-yard game-winning drive in his Rams debut. On Sunday, he completed 24 of his 28 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns in a 51-14 rout of the Denver Broncos.

Would it make sense for the Patriots to sign Mayfield to compete with Jones in training camp? The MMQB Albert Breer shared his thoughts on Early Edition.

"I think we've got to look at Bill's actions here too," Breer said. "Conventional wisdom says that you do everything you can in a quarterback's first year, three years, to bring him along and create the right environment around him. Have they really done that? Like, they rolled the dice with Joe Judge and Matt Patricia. At every opportunity Bill's had this year to say 'he's unequivocally my starter,' Bill's failed to do that both earlier in the year and more recently.

"So what we've seen is Bill continuing to push, and push, and push Mac. Well, if that's the way that he's treated him in Year 2, and the performance hasn't been there, shouldn't we be led to believe that maybe in Year 3 he takes that to another level and brings in another person?

"And I do think what you lose in reps maybe you gain in competition. The way I look at this, there's two benefits to bringing in competition. Especially if it's somebody young like Baker Mayfield. Number one, you may find an answer on Mac quicker, on who he's going to be as a professional and as a player. Number two, this gives you kind of two swings at it. If the goal is to find your quarterback for the next decade, having both Baker Mayfield and Mac Jones in the building, if the talent is comparable, gives you two swings at getting that answer right."

How Jones performs in his final two games of the season likely will go a long way toward determining how Belichick proceeds at the QB position. The Patriots still are in playoff contention as they prepare for a Week 17 showdown vs. the Miami Dolphins. They must win to keep their postseason hopes alive.

Sunday's game is set for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Gillette Stadium.

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