NFL

Sports Q: Should the Patriots sign Andy Dalton?

It wouldn’t shock Chad Finn if Andy Dalton ended up in New England.

Andy Dalton. The Associated Press

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Andy Dalton was released by the Bengals. Should the Patriots sign him?  – Gary D.

Depends. Can he bring A.J. Green with him?

I’m going to vote no on this one just based on a presumption of what he wants. If he’d be happy coming in on a cheap deal with no promises of being the starter, that would be fine. He’s a pretty good quarterback, probably better than he gets credit for, especially considering his spent his entire nine-year career with the dysfunctional Bengals. He’s their all-time leader in touchdown passes and led them to the playoffs five times, which is about four more than I remember.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaUT4GudSqA

But if he’s looking for an annual salary similar to what he was due to make this year (more than $17 million) and expects to be the starter immediately, I say the Patriots should pass on him. I’m not sure how they’d make it work salary-cap wise, since they’ve got about $1 million of space and need to sign their rookies. I also believe Bill Belichick and the Patriots brain trust believe in Jarrett Stidham, and there’s tremendous value there in having a starting quarterback on his rookie deal.

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It wouldn’t shock me if Dalton ended up here, though Jacksonville looks like a better fit. But the Patriots should pass on him unless he’s willing to be a bargain and possibly a backup. I’m all in on seeing what Stidham can do.

What does everyone else think? Should the Patriots sign Andy Dalton? I’ll hear you in the comments.

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