There isn't a quarterback in the NFL with a more secure starting job than Tom Brady, but you wouldn't know it by the New England Patriots QB's attitude.

When Jimmy Garoppolo served as Brady's backup from 2014-16, there was plenty of speculation the Pats' second-round pick one day would be Brady's successor. Garoppolo ended up being traded to the San Francisco 49ers, though it didn't take long for New England to find another potential heir to Brady's throne.

The Patriots selected Jarrett Stidham in the fourth round of this year's NFL draft, and the Auburn product was impressive throughout camp and preseason. With Brady entering his age 42 season after signing a contract that'll make him a free agent next year, there's significant buzz about Stidham being the next signal-caller in Foxboro.

During his press conference on Wednesday, Brady was asked by NBC Sports Boston's own Tom E. Curran whether he feels "territorial" about his starting QB job at this stage of his career.

"I think that's the nature of this position," Brady said. "I think it's a great privilege. I've always felt when a team trusts you to be the quarterback and they put the ball in your hands, it's a great show of trust that they have in you and I think you need to earn it every day. So I don't think you can rest on things that happened in the past or things that people may project on you. You're tasked with a big burden to help the offense be in the right play, you know, you touch the ball on every play. So you have the opportunity to distribute it as you see fit. With that trust comes a lot of responsibility, and I think that's a big responsibility I take with me."

The Patriots parted ways with veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer on Saturday, which leaves Stidham as the lone backup QB on New England's depth chart.

Brady explained the dynamic of his relationship with the 23-year-old, citing some of his own experiences as a young QB learning the ins and outs of the NFL under grizzled veterans.

"Well, I was a young player once too," Brady said. "And I had a lot of older players that I worked with, so I think I learned from those experiences and I had some great mentors, you know, people that really taught me how to play the position. It was great at a young age to have John Friesz and Drew [Bledsoe]. And then to have Damon Huard. And then to have Vinny [Testeverde]. And to have Doug [Flutie]. Then all the sudden it flipped and it got Matt Cassell, to Brian [Hoyer], to Jimmy [Garoppolo] ... so I played with so many great guys over the years, and I think for a quarterback it's my belief that when you play a team sport, the best guy plays because that's what's best for the team, and then the other guys support that position."

Only time will tell whether Stidham truly is Brady's heir apparent. Until that time comes, he'll have the opportunity to take a step back and learn from arguably the best QB to ever play the game -- an opportunity he's understandably excited about.

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