2015 State of the Roster: Patriots Quarterbacks

Under contract (2015 Week 1 age): Tom Brady (38), Jimmy Garoppolo (23), Garrett Gilbert (24)

2014 Review: Tom Brady looked terrible and awful and done and benched until he decided that he was done sucking and became awesome. He added mobility to his toolbox over the off-season and he looked to still have the same zip and ability on his passes that he has offered over the past few seasons.

One might think that he was producing more boneheaded red zone mistakes than usual (he had three red zone interceptions this year, against the Lions, Chargers, and Seahawks), but he has had between two and five red zone picks in every season since 2004, except for in 2007 and 2012. It happens.

Brady was productive in crunch time this season, and while his raw numbers look low, it's because he was asked to throw 50 fewer times than years past. Perhaps his arm was on a pitch count, but he remained effective throughout the season.

Garoppolo has been fantastic in his role as a back-up. He's contributed in practice, most notably preparing Malcolm Butler for the Super Bowl saving interception on the Tuesday prior to the game, and he's looked pretty good in his limited time. He's mobile, he's decisive, he has a quick release, and he's accurate. His future looks bright. His future.

2015 Projection: The Patriots are all set at the quarterback position. The only thing against Brady is that 38 is generally the upper limit of quarterback aging- but Brady was lights out, so there's no real reason for concern.

Brady looks to be ready and fired up for another great season and with most of his offensive skill players returning, it's hard to see this team stepping back from its top-tier production. If the Patriots opt to improve the offensive line, it's entirely possible for the offense to become better since Brady's real production value comes with his quick decision making, and not his deep ball arm strength.

New England will likely sign someone to the practice squad, but they will use just Brady and Garoppolo on the active roster.