Two months after New England’s sixth and most recent Super Bowl win in 2019, Stidham was selected in the fourth round of the draft.

He was Brady’s back-up for his 20th and final season with the Patriots, before coach Bill Belichick signed Cam Newton in 2020, putting Stidham into a quarterback competition with the former Most Valuable Player.

Newton prevailed, although Stidham made a handful of relief appearances as the veteran struggled, so the Patriots made Mac Jones the next potential Brady successor with a first-round draft pick in 2021.

Stidham then underwent back surgery and after not playing at all in 2021, he was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, making his first two NFL starts at the end of that season.

Stidham moved on again in 2023 to Denver and has remained a back-up, so after seven seasons in the NFL the 29-year-old has played in 20 games, with just four starts.

But there is clearly something about him that New England like. Josh McDaniels was the Patriots’ offensive coordinator during Stidham’s three years at Foxborough and shortly after becoming the Raiders’ head coach, he brought in Stidham.

Then after McDaniels returned to the Patriots under new head coach Mike Vrabel in the off-season, they considered re-signing Stidham to become Drake Maye’s back-up.

During his NFL career, Stidham has completed 117 of 197 passes (59.4%), throwing eight touchdown passes and eight interceptions.

“I think he sees things really well,” added Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls as a Patriots player.

“I think he’s athletic enough to extend [plays]. The accuracy, the decision making – he’s really decisive in the games that we went back and watched.”