The big news in NFL circles these days has been 6-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady leaving the New England Patriots to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Though the Patriots could still explore adding a quarterback on the free agent market, they do have former Auburn star Jarrett Stidham on their roster.

Is Stidham ready for the starting job? Auburn coach Gus Malzahn explained to Yahoo Sports why he thinks Stidham can do it:

“Just the way he approaches everything,” Malzahn said of Stidham’s intangibles. “He’s obsessed. He’s obsessed with being the best. When it came to studying film, he was always up in the complex watching. You couldn’t chase him out of there. He was just trying to be the best. That’s the way he went about everything.”

He added that New England was the perfect spot for Stidham to end up and that the years he spent behind Tom Brady will only help him:

“I know he really likes it there,” Malzahn said. “When he was drafted by New England, a lot of us thought it was the perfect spot for him to go and learn for a couple of years under the best. And then maybe take the reins.

“He’s got all the things it takes to be very successful. I think he’s been working hard for this moment. And I think he’ll take advantage of this moment.”

If the NFL resumes operations this summer, we’ll see if Stidham can land the starting job. For now, though, it’s all just speculation.