BOSTON — The Patriots traded backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham and a seventh-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for a sixth-round pick Thursday, according to reports.
Stidham is in the final year of his contract after being selected in the fourth round of the 2019 draft out of Auburn. He never ascended to being more than a backup in New England, despite competing for the starting job in the summer of 2020 with Cam Newton. After recovering from back surgery in August, he did not appear in a game last season.
Over eight career games, Stidham has completed 24 of 48 passes for 270 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. He played in three games as a rookie, all coming off the bench, then five more in 2020, each as a reserve.
In Las Vegas, Stidham will reunite with former Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, the Raiders’ first-year head coach, and former New England executive Dave Ziegler, their new GM. Meanwhile, the Pats create almost $1 million in cap room by offloading Stidham.
Stidham’s exit was seen as only a matter of time once the Patriots drafted Western Kentucky quarterback Bailey Zappe in the fourth round of this year’s draft. Zappe joined backup Brian Hoyer, who recently re-signed on a 2-year deal, and starter Mac Jones in the team’s quarterbacks room.
Sports Illustrated first reported the two sides were close to a deal, after 98.5 The Sports Hub radio producer James Stewart tweeted he heard Stidham was headed Las Vegas on Thursday morning.
