This class of free agent quarterbacks may be the best the league has seen in recent memory. Typically, there are backups and low-end starters to be found on the open market — and they get way overpaid. This year, there are actual competitive quarterbacks that are slated to be free to sign with another team. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, of course, is among them. But he’s hardly the only established veteran. A franchises will change the trajectory of their team — for 2020 and future seasons — by making a signing this offseason.
Who are the names that fans should be familiar with?
Tom Brady
Brady really needs no explanation, but he’ll get one anyway. Unquestionably one of the greatest of all-time, Brady is coming off a season that was a disappointment in his eyes. The Patriots didn’t make it past Wild Card weekend. A lot of the blame will go towards the lack of weapons and questions surrounding the offensive line, but the 42-year-old did start to show some small signs of his age.
The future Hall of Famer finished 2019 with 4,057 yards, 24 touchdowns, and eight interceptions with a passer rating of 88.0.
In the right situation, Brady will likely still make a team a contender. He’s always said that money isn’t the biggest factor to him, so he’d be looking for a team that can give him what he wants. And what he wants is a great set of weapons and a fair paycheck for his services. Not too long ago it seemed unfathomable for Brady to leave New England, but it seems to be getting closer to that.
Dak Prescott
Prescott has been impressive in his four years since taking over for Tony Romo. As a fourth-round pick, the expectations on him weren’t very high, and he’s exceeded them all. He has yet to have a losing season, and he’s earned Pro-Bowl nominations in two of his four years.
Last season, Prescott threw for 4,902 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions with a 99.7 passer rating. It was his best year statistically, but the Cowboys finished just 8-8, their worst record with Prescott under center.
The former Mississipi State quarterback has stated he’s looking for a lot of money. There were reports last offseason that he and his agent were looking for $40 million annually. Cowboys VP Stephen Jones has said that he wants to get a deal done, so it seems likely that Prescott will return to Dallas with either a new contract or a franchise tag.
Drew Brees
Brees has been one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL for nearly two decades. His accuracy has led him to have the most passing yards (77,416), passing touchdowns (547), and highest completion percentage (67.6%) in NFL history. He’s re-written the record books and placed himself atop, yet the one thing that seems to be eluding Brees is prolonged playoff success. He has his one Super Bowl ring, but he’s never made it back.
In 2019, Brees missed five games due to a thumb injury. He went 8-3 in the 11 games he started while throwing for 2,979 yards, 27 touchdowns, and four interceptions with a 116.3 passer rating.
At 41 years old, Brees has said he’s contemplating retirement. Some have speculated that he will turn to the broadcast booth, but it would be a pretty big surprise to see him walk away at this point. He seems to still have the competitive itch to try and win a Super Bowl, and he’ll likely only try to do that in New Orleans.
Philip Rivers
Rivers has had his name cemented in the annual top-five quarterbacks conversation since he was named the starter in 2006. He was charged with the difficult task of replacing Brees, and he did it fairly well. While Rivers doesn’t have a Super Bowl, he’s been one of the most productive quarterbacks in the NFL throughout his career.
The Chargers finished 2019 with a disappointing 5-11 record. Rivers totaled 4,615 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions in his 16th year. It was very obvious that he had taken a step back.
Now, Rivers and the Chargers have announced they are mutually parting ways. If Rivers continues to play it will be with another organization. The 38-year-old has packed up his family and moved to Florida. That might be an indication of where he’s leaning towards, but he will likely have fewer suitors than the previously mentioned gunslingers.
Teddy Bridgewater
Bridgewater’s career has been a wild rollercoaster ride, thus far. He saw some success in his second season, leading the Vikings to an NFC North title. Since then, he suffered a torn ACL and dislocated knee, missed a full year, was signed by the Jets just to be traded to Saints before the season started, and became a phenomenal fill-in with the Saints.
The 27-year-old brought the Saints to a 5-0 record in his five starts for the injured Brees. He threw for 1,384 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions with a 99.1 passer rating. New Orleans didn’t ask him to do too much, but he did everything well.
Now, the Saints have two of their three quarterbacks (Brees and Bridgewater) hitting unrestricted free agency, and their third (Taysom Hill) is a restricted free agent. It would be wise to assume that two of these guys will be coming back, it’s just a matter of which two. Bridgewater looks to have a promising future ahead of him, and the New Orleans system seems to fit him perfectly. However, a team like New England could be interested in a guy who should be nearing his prime and probably wouldn’t command top dollar.
Jameis Winston
Winston has been on a wild rollercoaster, as well, but in a different way than Bridgewater’s. He was the first overall pick in 2015 and has been extremely productive statistically. Since entering the league, Winston has the seventh-most passing yards and 10th-most passing touchdowns while playing fewer games than everybody above him.
2019 may have been the craziest year of Winston’s career yet. He finished the year with a league-leading 5,109 yards, 33 touchdowns, and a league-leading 30 interceptions. Winston became the first quarterback to ever throw 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in a season.
Winston is hitting free agency at a tough time considering all of the options on the market as well as rookies coming into the draft. It’s been reported that he’s searching for a deal that hits $30 million annually, but with his turnover numbers that high it would be surprising to see that be the deal he ends up with. It’s more likely that he’ll see a deal around $25 million per year.
Ryan Tannehill
What a year it was for Tannehill. He revived his career from the depths of despair in Tennessee. When he was traded for Ryan Fitzpatrick, no one believed that Tannehill would do what he did to bring the Titans on a run to the AFC Championship game, but that’s exactly what he did.
The former Aggie replaced Marcus Mariota in Week 6 after Mariota struggled to do anything with the Titans’ offense. Tannehill went 7-3 in his starts, throwing 2,742 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions on his way to a deep playoff run.
While Tannehill did perform well last season, a majority of the Titans’ success came on the shoulders of rushing leader Derrick Henry. Tannehill, like Bridgewater, wasn’t asked to do too much, but he succeeded when he was on the field and limited the turnovers. Who knows if Tannehill can catch lightning in a bottle again, but it would probably be wise to bet against it.
Marcus Mariota
The aforementioned Mariota didn’t have a great end to his tenure in Tennessee. He led the Titans to a 2-4 record, despite having a solid seven-to-two touchdown-to-interception ratio. However, by the time he was pulled, it was evident that his style no longer fit the mold of what head coach Mike Vrabel was trying to do.
Luckily for Mariota, he’s only 26 and has plenty of time left to grow. If he could get with a good coach that believes in his skillset, he may find a successful future in the NFL. He’ll just need to work on his decision-making and defensive recognition. A team will come calling for Mariota’s services this offseason, and they will get a serviceable quarterback with some potential for a reasonable price.
