On Thursday, multiple media outlets reported that Alex Van Pelt has been hired as the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots.
Van Pelt’s last coaching position was with the Cleveland Browns, where he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Van Pelt used the West Coast offense with the Browns, which could take him to New England.The West Coast offense has a quarterback-based system that uses a series of three- and five-step drops to run plays and line up under center.
A QB would do well in a West Coast system if he has the legs and accuracy. A West Coast QB should have some mobility and be able to throw on the run, but not necessarily scramble. The Patriots are looking for a QB this offseason. Understanding Van Pelt’s system makes it much easier to narrow down New England’s options at QB.
New England could get a QB through the NFL draft, but there are plenty of options in free agency.Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay BuccaneersMayfield is a very mobile, solid QB with a great arm. He led the team to the 2024 wild card game with 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in the 2023 regular season, finishing just below the Detroit Lions and ahead of the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Mayfield proved he can work well in Van Pelt’s West Coast system, scoring 26 touchdowns and throwing for eight touchdowns when the two were in Cleveland in 2020, but there’s one problem: his high price tag. Mayfield is headed for a huge extension after a successful 2023 campaign.
The Buccaneers may be willing to match his desired salary, which could be closer to $40 million per season, but the Patriots are not. Mayo is just getting used to his new head coaching job. Pulling the trigger on something big like this is a risky move for a QB coming off a good year. However, Mayfield may not want to leave Tampa Bay, which could make New England’s offer unsuitable.
It would be interesting to see Mayfield with the Patriots in the 2024 season, but it would take a lot of dominoes to fall in the right direction. Jacoby Brissett, commander at WashingtonAt first, it seems silly to use Brissett as the starting QB. He is nowhere near the other options in terms of skill and is already 31 years old. This means his average form has gone down.
2022 with Van Pelt was promising, with 14 total touchdowns and six interceptions in 11 starts. He spent one year in New England in 2016, but none of the other 31 NFL teams consider him a starting candidate. .The most important thing to understand about signings like Brissett is that these moves don’t happen in a vacuum.
QB is the most expensive position in football. If the Patriots bring Brissett in relatively low volume, it would open the door for him to make more spread moves at wide receiver to run and tackle the run. If Brock Purdy’s 49ers have taught us anything, it’s that with good pieces around him, it’s possible to play at a level unimaginable for a generally unlikable QB.
Brissett is a cheap, risky option who looks great when he succeeds, but lousy when he fails. Again, it’s hard to imagine Mayo taking such an unexpected path in his first year as manager, but he’s certainly looking at all the options on the table.Kirk Cousins (Minnesota Vikings)Cousins has the experience and leadership every team needs at QB, but he may not have the opportunity to play at a high level in the NFL just yet.
Cousins will be 36 when the 2024 NFL season begins, and to make matters worse, he’s coming off a ruptured Achilles tendon. Betting on an older QB is stressful, but betting on an older QB who has recently suffered an injury is very risky. Especially considering Cousins likely won’t get the low price Brissett is offering. Choosing your cousin has several advantages.
He’s the more popular QB between Brissett and Mayfield, and while he doesn’t have direct experience with Van Pelt, he did have experience in the West Coast offense under former Commanders coach Mike Shanahan in 2012 and 2013. That said, the Patriots would still make a big move for Cousins. Van Pelt’s offense, while similar in some schematics, is very different from the offense he worked with with Cousins, and he’s used to throwing to Vikings All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson every day, something the Patriots don’t do. A receiver is installed at 1000 meters.
After Julian Edelman in 2019. The Patriots’ cousins will need a lot of off-field coordination and work with their coaches and players. He’s a solid QB when he plays, so the Patriots won’t be crazy to rely on him. There are a lot of question marks at this point in the offseason.
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