When Tom Brady departed for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New England Patriots eventually replaced him with Cam Newton, many thought the former MVP would slide into the starting job by default.

Not so fast.

According to head coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots are leaving the door open to anything, including a possible platoon with second-year pivot Jarrett Stidham or veteran Brian Hoyer.

"I always say I'll do what I think is best for the team, what gives us the best chance to win. Whatever that is, I would definitely consider it - run unbalanced line, double unbalanced line, 23 personnel. Whatever it is, if it helps us win, I would consider anything," he said via ESPN of the possibility of using both quarterbacks in-game.

ESPN reports that Newton, Hoyer and Stidham are splitting repetitions equally in practice, though Belichick did acknowledge there will be a time when that would be altered.

"Right now, we want to try to give everybody an opportunity to get the basics. We're really doing that at all positions. Everyone is rotating through; we're trying to give everyone an opportunity to run the basic plays, get the basic fundamentals now," he said.

Newton officially signed a one-year, incentive-laden deal with the Patriots in July and is looking to re-establish himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL after a couple injury-riddled seasons to end his tenure with the Carolina Panthers.

The 31-year-old was named NFL MVP in 2015 after leading the Panthers to a 15-1 record.