Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, left, and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) meet on the field after an NFL football game in December 2019 in Cincinnati. AP Photo/Frank Victores

The New England Patriots and Coach Bill Belichick suddenly found themselves in need of a quarterback Tuesday, after Tom Brady informed owner Robert Kraft during a meeting Monday night that he would be leaving the team after two decades and six Super Bowl titles.

Potential trade target Andy Dalton was among the candidates being mentioned by people in and around the league. But Belichick and the Patriots can be unpredictable at times, and few seemed to have a firm grasp on what the team’s immediate post-Brady plan might be.

Nick Foles, the former Super Bowl MVP for the Philadelphia Eagles, could be available in a trade after one unsuccessful season with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Carolina Panthers announced Tuesday that they had given Cam Newton permission to seek a trade. Free agent options include Philip Rivers and Jameis Winston.

The Patriots have a young quarterback in Jarrett Stidham, taken in the fourth round of last year’s NFL draft. But he had only four regular season passing attempts as a rookie, and it’s questionable that Belichick would go into the season counting on the second-year pro to be the starter.

Free agent Teddy Bridgewater had been linked in speculation to the Patriots. But he was finalizing a deal Tuesday to sign with the Panthers, according to a person familiar with those negotiations, and succeed Newton in Carolina. Bridgewater had success last season as a fill-in starter for the New Orleans Saints while Drew Brees was sidelined by a thumb injury.

It appears that either Dalton or Foles could be had on the trade market. Dalton’s starting job in Cincinnati is likely to be given to Joe Burrow, the Heisman Trophy winner from LSU and presumptive top overall choice in next month’s NFL draft by the Bengals. The Jaguars could move on from Foles — who is one season into a four-year, $88 million contract signed last offseason as a free agent — and turn things over fully to youngster Gardner Minshew.

But Dalton never has won a postseason game and Foles has had an inconsistent NFL career that, until his revival in Philadelphia, had him bordering on journeyman status. Belichick would have to trust that he and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels could get the best out of either, while retooling an offense that lacked playmakers around Brady last season. The Patriots are coming off a first-round playoff defeat to the Tennessee Titans.

Newton is a former league MVP who once took the Panthers to a Super Bowl. But he has had shoulder and foot injuries, leaving some to wonder whether he will be able to regain star status. Rivers has said his farewells to the Los Angeles Chargers but could be closing in on a deal with the Indianapolis Colts. He has never reached a Super Bowl and is coming off a 20-interception season for the Chargers. Winston topped 5,100 passing yards and had 33 touchdown passes for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season but also threw 30 interceptions.

The only certainty as of midday Tuesday, it seemed, was that whichever quarterback the Patriots choose will have a rather daunting task in succeeding an all-time great – perhaps the all-time great – in New England.