The Patriots have their backup plan in place. But what do they do now about their backup's backup?
It appears as though Jimmy Garoppolo is destined to start for the Patriots on opening night against the Steelers. And he may be needed for as many as three games after that, given that Tom Brady was handed a four-game suspension by the NFL for his role in Deflategate.
Brady will appeal, according to his agent Don Yee, but it's unclear by how many games his suspension will be reduced, if at all.
That means Garoppolo, who said all last year that he prepared every week as though he was the starter, will have nearly four months to get ready to be the one taking Patriots first-team snaps in September.
But what will New England do for Garoppolo insurance while Brady is kept out of action?
That decision could ultimately depend on the result of Brady's appeal. The need to spend money on a backup for Garoppolo would be heightened if the suspension remained at four games as opposed to if it was reduced to two.
Either way, coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will need to have someone at their disposal in the event Garoppolo is injured or can't play for some other reason.
New England Patriots
Second-year quarterback Garrett Gilbert is currently the only other quarterback on the Patriots roster. He was signed to the Patriots practice squad in mid-December last season and remained there through the end of the year. A sixth-round pick by the Rams in 2014, the Southern Methodist product was cut and signed to the St. Louis practice squad. He was released in October and then grabbed by the Patriots a month-and-a-half later.
There are plenty of veteran quarterbacks available on the market, including former Packers backup Matt Flynn, Michael Vick, Jason Campbell and Travaris Jackson. One would think that, while Garoppolo is relatively inexperienced, his year in the Patriots system would make him the favorite to start even if one of the above veterans is brought aboard.
But that won't preclude the team from signing an experienced arm as an emergency option.