This would certainly explain why Jarrett Stidham hasn’t played much for the Patriots.

In his two seasons in New England, Stidham has made a total of eight appearances and has yet to make a single start for the franchise. That’s despite being a fourth-round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft and Tom Brady leaving the franchise for Tampa Bay last offseason.

While some believed Brady’s departure meant the Stidham era was about to begin in New England, the Patriots turned around and signed Cam Newton in free agency.

So what’s the issue?

One thing that’s been holding Stidham back, according to QB coach Jordan Palmer, is the fact he played in college offenses that did nothing to prepare him for the NFL.

Here is what Palmer had to say during a recent appearance on Tom Curran’s Patriots Talk Podcast regarding Stidham being behind the curve when it comes to NFL offenses after playing under Art Briles at Baylor.

“What people don’t realize — and I’ve been doing this a long time — Jarrett had as far to go mentally in terms of what he knew, not in terms of intelligence, in terms of what he knew about football, he had as far to go between college and pro as anybody I ever worked with,” Palmer said.

“People don’t know this. Art Briles’ offense, basically nothing in it would help you play in the NFL. The way you read defenses, the way you go through — I’m not saying it wasn’t prolific at Baylor. He took a team out of Waco, Texas, and made them a top 10 team. But none of it translates.”

If you think that was bad, check out what Palmer had to say about Gus Malzahn’s offense and how poorly it translates to the game’s highest level.

“Gus Malzahn’s offense at Auburn, I think, even further from the NFL than Art Briles’,” Palmer continued. “In Gus Malzahn’s offense, they don’t even call the receivers – they’re not even letters, they’re numbers. There’s a one-man, a five-man, a seven-man, a three-man.

“And this isn’t an indictment on his offense. He won a national championship with Cam Newton. I’m just saying, what they expect you to know on offense at Auburn is the furthest thing from NFL offenses. And I think the Patriots offense is the most complex.”

In fairness, it’s not the job of college coaches to prepare quarterbacks for the NFL, it’s their job to win games. Be that as it may, after reading these comments, it may be a hard sell for an elite quarterback to want to play in the Malzahn or Briles offense in the year’s to come if their ultimate goal is to reach the NFL.