The Facts: In recent days, the possibility of Mariota as a Patriot has been mentioned, and here's more: With the projected cost to acquire him (later-round pick) and his salary ($10.6 million) reasonable, it would mean New England has flexibility to add another QB should the opportunity present itself later in the offseason (e.g. Jimmy Garoppolo or a draft pick).

Diehards Line: As ESPN.com's Mike Reiss explained, at least initially, Mariota would provide a combination of NFL experience (61 starts), a chance for a functional passing game, and potential high upside as the Patriots start to use their abundant cap space to put some important pieces in place around the QB spot. Mariota summed up: "I'm warming up to the Mariota idea as a strong Plan B if Garoppolo isn't initially available."