Jarrett Stidham is not Plan A, B, C or D for the Patriots in 2021 as they search for a long-term answer at quarterback. That's the takeaway I have this week as Bill Belichick is reportedly set to roll with Cam Newton as his starter against Buffalo on Monday night. For the first time in what feels like forever, the Patriots are simply playing out the stretch.

After they were knocked from postseason contention last week, New England will simply be playing for pride when they take on the Buffalo Bills, who have already clinched the AFC East for the first time since 1995, the story said. This is obviously the time of year when teams evaluate talent, so based on the Pats sticking with Newton at QB, it doesn't seem to bode well for Stidham.

New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton admitted he hasn't played as well as he hoped in 2020, but he said Monday that he still has "a lot of football left."

Related players: Jarrett Stidham

With the Patriots now out of the playoffs, it makes sense to see what else they have at the position. The story said coach Bill Belichick left open the possibility of giving Stidham playing time with the team out of playoff contention. Newton is a free agent after the season and plans to keep playing in 2021, the story said. He explained that one of his goals in 2020 was to make it through the season healthy after previously being sidelined with shoulder and foot injuries.

After a miserable day that included three interceptions and just 98 passing yards, the Patriots have benched QB Cam Newton in favor of Jarrett Stidham.

The 49ers rattled Newton all day and it was easily the worst performance of the season for Newton as the Patriots are headed toward a 2-4 start, being down 33-6.

Patriots QB Jarrett Stidham is in line to start Week 5 if Cam Newton cannot because of his positive COVID-19 diagnosis, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.

Stidham is a quarterback who plays in the NFL. Outside of 2 QB and Superflex leagues, it is tough to imagine the second year QB as a viable fantasy option this week.

After an offseason in which Jarrett Stidham had the inside track to be Tom Brady's heir apparent at quarterback, a plan later knocked off course when Cam Newton officially joined the New England Patriots in early July, it would be understandable if many figured that this is Stidham's time to step in.

So it's next man up. And that next man is ... Brian Hoyer?

That is the expectation after Hoyer has served as the No. 2 quarterback for the first three games of the season and Stidham -- who had beaten out Hoyer for that job in 2019 -- was a game-day inactive each of the first three weeks.

The story said after Newton signed, the No. 2 job still was well within Stidham's reach, however, until everything changed Aug. 20, the fourth day of training camp. After a shaky practice that day, Stidham visited a Boston hospital for tests on his leg, which came back negative. While Stidham was on the field for practice the next day, his repetitions were scaled way back. He never really recovered and never really made a strong charge.

Patriots RB James White (personal reason) will not play Sunday against the Seahawks and is inactive.

New England Patriots inactives, SNF

OLB Josh Uche
OT Korey Cunningham
QB Jarrett Stidham
RB James White
TE Dalton Keene
DB Myles Bryant

In tragic news, White’s father was involved in a car crash and did not survive and his mother was also in that accident and is in critical condition. White was made aware of the news and made the decision not to play, which is completely understandable. Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead will help lead the running back room in Seattle.

From beat writer Mike Reiss' camp notes: This was basically the Cam Newton Show with a little Brian Hoyer mixed in.

Related players: Jarrett Stidham

Reiss said Stidham took some 11-on-11 snaps, but he's fading out of the picture. Looks like the Patriots are all-in for Newton this season.

Patriots QB Jarrett Stidham is experiencing leg discomfort, limiting his practice availability Friday. Giardi also said that the injury will prevent Stidham from being 100% for several weeks.

Bad news for the second-year QB as he tries to win the starting job in New England. Cam Newton gets the first team snaps to himself as long as Stidham sits.

It's a one-year "prove it" deal for Cam Newton, who missed most of 2019 with a foot injury. He completed 50-of-89 passes for one interception and no touchdowns while rushing five times for negative two yards. In 2018, he completed 67.9% of his passes and had a 24-to-13 touchdown-to-interception ratio while rushing for 35 yards a game. This looks like a great signing for the Patriots, who were obviously uncomfortable going into the season with Jarrett Stidham and/or Brian Hoyer as their only options. If Newton is fully healthy, he's a threat for QB1 numbers. He has five top 4 finishes in his career and has never finished outside the top 17 when he has played 14 or more games. The signing is good news for all of the New England offensive players (outside of Stidham/Hoyer, obviously).

Brady announced earlier today that he was leaving the Patriots, and word broke later that the Chargers didn't feel that they were in the running anymore. The Bucs offer a good set of weapons -- Chris Godwin, Mike Evans and O.J. Howard, whose career may get a jumpstart with Brady under center -- so Brady could be very fantasy relevant in 2020. However, the Bucs were third in passing yards, seventh in completions and third in passing touchdowns, so Godwin and Evans will be hard-pressed to match their numbers from last year even if the overall efficiency of the Tampa offense improves. Jarrett Stidham currently sits atop the New England depth chart.