The quarterback problem in New England is far from resolved.

As the Patriots try to pick up the pieces and rebuild in the new Tom Brady-less era in Foxborough, it is becoming apparent that neither Cam Newton nor Jarrett Stidham is a long-term solution.

Patriots insider Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston said that the team’s unwillingness to switch to Stidham in light of Newton’s poor performance is an indictment of the 2019 fourth-rounder.

“[Switching to Stidham] to me is the ultimate white flag,” Curran said on Monday, “because from what I am gathering, the Patriots don’t feel very good about Jarrett Stidham from really July on. The things that have gone on with him, the absence of things that have gone on with him. No compete in terms of trying to win that job away from Cam Newton.

“I think that is a big strike against [Stidham] and I think that’s something that — if the Patriots have him out there — would be tantamount to them saying, ‘What are we going to do?'”

Newton, 31, signed a veteran minimum contract in late June worth $1.05 million. The 2015 NFL MVP can earn an additional $6.45 million in incentives, but was seen by most as a one-year stopgap in light of the Patriots’ salary cap constraints.

Through seven starts, Newton has completed a career-high 68.1 percent of his passes for 1,417 yards. He has just two passing touchdowns compared to seven interceptions and his arm strength has been a liability. He also has 69 rushing attempts for 314 yards and eight touchdowns.

Stidham, 24, has appeared in two games this season and has completed 11 of 23 passes for one touchdown and three interceptions. He remains the backup on the quarterback depth chart, though journeyman third-stringer Brian Hoyer — not Stidham — got the start in Week 4 when Newton was out after contracting COVID-19, which could be further evidence of the Patriots’ wariness.

After Monday night’s come-from-behind victory over the Jets, the Patriots moved to 3-5, which would put them 13th in the 2021 NFL draft order if the season ended today. Even if they were to lose out and finish 3-13, there’s a strong chance they would have to trade up — an unlikely scenario for head coach and de facto general manager Bill Belichick — to have a chance at any of the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft class.

The Patriots’ next option would be to pursue a quarterback in free agency. They are projected to have $64.6 million in cap space — the fourth-most in the league according to Over The Cap — after freeing up a lot of their liabilities in 2020.