The Tom Brady era in New England was one of the most dominant in sports history. Over 20 years, Brady and the won six Super Bowls, 17 AFC East titles and were constantly the NFLs top team. But all good things must come to an end. Even head coach Bill Belichick, who with Brady engineered the NFLs evil empire, knew that Father Time was coming for the quarterback. Even as Brady continued to challenge the laws of aging, Belichick remained wary of the inevitable cliff, leading the franchise to spend years scouting for a worthy heir. That search reached a pivotal moment in the 2019 NFL Draft, when the Patriots used a fourth-round pick on Auburns Jarrett Stidham, officially drafting a developmental understudy intended to carry the torch whenever the greatest era in sports history finally reached its sunset. Fast forward to 2026, and Stidham has spent the past few seasons with the backing up Bo Nix. When Nix went down with a broken ankle in Denvers win over the in the NFL playoffs, it put Stidham in position to face his former team with a berth in Super Bowl LX on the line. Lets revisit Stidhams time with the Patriots. MORE: Jarrett Stidham Patriots career Stidham spent the 2019 to NHL San Jose Sharks Jersey 2021 seasons with New England, serving as Brady's backup before having his chances to start derailed. In 2019,Stidham beat out Brian Hoyer for the primary backup spot behind Brady. His NFL debut came in Week 3 against the ; he completed 2 of 3 pa ses but threw a pick-six to Jamal Adams, which led to Brady being re-inserted to finish the game. Big day for rookie QB : Took over in the 2Q vs. Went 14-of-24 for 179 yards Threw his first TD Turned 23 years old NFL (@NFL) After Bradys departure to Tampa Bay, Stidham was the presumed starter throughout the spring. However, the late signing of Cam Newton pushed him back to third-string. He eventually worked his way back to the second spot, making five relief appearances for a struggling Newton, including a relief stint against the where he threw his first career touchdown pa s to N'Keal Harry. A training camp back surgery landed Stidham on the PUP list for the first nine games of the season. By the time he returned, rookie Mac Jones had firmly taken the reins, and Stidham spent the remainder of the year as the third-string option without seeing the field. In May of 2022, Stidham's time in New England ended.He was traded to the in a late-round pick swap, reuniting him with Josh McDaniels, who had been his offensive coordinator in New England and had just taken the head coaching job in Las Vegas. MORE: Jarrett Stidham NFL Draft Stidham was selected with the 133rd pick in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Patriots. Once considered a potential first-round talent after a stellar 2017 season at Auburn, a regre sion in his 2018 production saw him slide into the middle rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft. Stidham was the seventh quarterback taken in a cla s that included Kyler Murray and Daniel Jones. New England viewed him as a high-upside developmental understudy for 41-year-old Tom Brady. Pick Round Player Team College 1 1 Kyler Murray Arizona Cardinals Oklahoma 6 1 Daniel Jones New York Giants Duke 15 1 Dwayne Haskins Washington Redskins Ohio State 42 2 Drew Lock Denver Broncos Mi souri 100 3 Will Grier Carolina Panthers West Virginia 104 4 Ryan Finley Cincinnati Bengals NC State 133 4 Jarrett Stidham New England Patriots Auburn 166 5 Easton Stick LA Chargers North Dakota State 167 5 Clayton Thorson Philadelphia Eagles Northwestern 178 6 Gardner Minshew Jacksonville Jaguars Washington State 197 6 Trace McSorley Baltimore Ravens Penn State MORE: Jarrett Stidham Patriots stats Stidhams tenure with the New England Patriots was defined by high-stakes expectations that never quite translated into a starting role. Season GP GS Cmp Att Yds TD INT Rating 2019 3 0 2 4 14 0 1 18.8 2020 5 0 22 44 256 2 3 54.7 2021 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 Total 8 0 24 48 270 2 4 46.4 MORE: Why did Jarrett Stidham leave the Patriots? Stidham left the Patriots primarily because he was the odd man out in a rapidly changing quarterback room. By the spring of 2022, the Patriots had shifted their focus to a new era, leaving Stidham without a clear path to playing time. After the Patriots drafted Mac Jones in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, he immediately took over as the franchise starter. With veteran Brian Hoyer serving as the primary mentor and backup, Stidham was relegated to the third-string spot.The final writing on the wall came when New England used a 2022 fourth-round pick on Western Kentucky's Bailey Zappe. This effectively replaced Stidham with a younger, cheaper developmental prospect, making him expendable. On May 12, 2022, the Patriots traded Stidham and a 2023 seventh-round pick to the Raiders for a 2023 sixth-round pick. MORE: Owen Nolan Jersey