There are 36 free-agent quarterbacks on the market according to spotrac. There are only 12 on this list. That’s because there are really only 12 free agent QBs with enough cache, skill, or name recognition that really matter. So let’s rank them because that’s what we do. These rankings aren’t based on which quarterback has had the best career — Tom Brady would obviously be at the top of that list — but instead are ranked on who a team should want now. That means age, contract length, dollar amount, skill, and if they are only a fit for one team or many teams are taken into account. Just don’t get angry when Tom Brady isn’t at the top of this list.
Dak Prescott
Prescott is 26 years old, has a .625 career winning percentage, has never finished below .500 in any season — with Jason Garrett as his coach which is a huge accomplishment — and completes almost 66 percent of his passes. He has the skill set to succeed in a run-heavy offense and the athletic ability to work a spread attack as well. He’s been a winner since college, and let’s express again that he’s won in spite of his coach rather than having an easy life with an offensive genius. Prescott was in the MVP race in the early part of the 2019 season. He’s not going to get the $40 million contract he was reportedly looking for, but he deserves to get paid. Someone will do so if the Cowboys aren’t careful.
Ryan Tannehill
This is where things get a little odd. Would you rather have Tom Brady at $30 million for the next two to three years or Ryan Tannehill for the next four to five years for $80-$100 million? Tannehill was historically good in the 2019 season. He has the arm strength to stretch defenses vertically. Tannehill was deadly off of play-action this year. He won the Titans some games, and he was the one who sealed the deal in the playoff game against the Patriots. Maybe he needed a change of venue outside of Miami — or maybe he needed to get away from Adam Gase — but someone will think Tannehill is their answer at quarterback.
Tom Brady
Any Patriots fan or Tom Brady deifier has to admit that Brady didn’t look as good this past season. The proverbial gradual decline looks like it’s taking place. Of course, people were saying the same thing right up until Jimmy Garoppolo got traded and all Brady did was win a few Super Bowls and put up pretty good numbers. The problem is that some team is going to talk themselves into Brady as a marketing ploy instead of looking at the GOAT as an on the field quarterback. If the Chargers are thinking about offering Brady a three-year $90 million contract, that’s probably not going to be a great investment two to three years down the line. Brady would be the person to prove that narrative wrong though.
Drew Brees
Here’s where we get into situational judgment of a quarterback. Brees’ recent success with the Saints isn’t debatable, but he is getting up there in age. His arm strength is not what it used to be. He plays a ton of games in domes with an offensive-minded head coach and has a system that works. Anyone calling for Brees to end up in Chicago may regret what they are asking for to happen. Because Brees can’t stretch the field like he used. He relies heavily on one of the best receivers in the NFL. He’s not going to want to play outside a dome and have the wind making his arm issues even more apparent. That limits the teams Brees could work out for. Having said all that, Brees is perfect to stay in New Orleans or play in a warm-weather stadium that isn’t battered by the elements. He’s the final piece to a team looking to win a Super Bowl.
Jameis Winston
Jameis one of one is going to get a long term deal. Some team — and it may even be the Bucs — will convince themselves that they can limit Winston’s turnovers — even though he’s essentially the same quarterback he was when he entered the league. If someone could cut Winston’s turnovers in half, he’d be a great bargain. He can make every throw. He understands how to run an offense. Yea, it’s kind of funny that he had 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions this season. He also threw for a ton of yards and kept the Bucs in some games — while also throwing them out of a few wins. Winston is still young. Someone will want to take the risk.
Teddy Bridgewater
Bridgewater is a bit of a game manager at this point but he was undefeated as a starter this year. By all accounts, he is a great teammate. He doesn’t have the strongest arm, and he was never a mobile quarterback, but he wins. He makes good decisions. He can probably be had for a cheaper price than any of the quarterbacks already listed — and probably cheaper than some of the quarterbacks listed after. The Saints will make a push to keep him around.
Philip Rivers
This will probably raise some eyebrows, but River’s deserves to be about half-way down this list. He was bad this last season. He had 23 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. He’s the opposite version of Jameis Winston in that at least when Winston was throwing the ball to the other team it was fun. Someone will sign Rivers, but his gradual decline may be worse than Brady or Brees.
Taysom Hill
Hill is essentially a lottery ticket for any team willing to give him a shot at being their starting quarterback. We’ve only seen such a small sample size of him as a signal-caller that giving him the reins may be a huge risk. It could also come with a huge reward. Hill was made to run the spread style offenses that are proliferating throughout the league. He has the arm strength and running ability to be a real problem for opponents.
Marcus Mariota
We have entered into backup country. Mariota’s arm strength and ability to make — or not make — every throw limits his chances of being a game-changing starting quarterback. He could thrive in a Bridgewater role. Someone who wants a solid second-string quarterback will be able to get one at a decent price.
Blake Bortles
Whatever was said about Mariota, it’s ditto for Bortles. Well, not about arm strength since Bortles has that but his decision making has never been great. He’s not accurate and has bad footwork. He could be a great second option.
Kyle Allen
The Kyle Allen hype train came to screeching halt toward the end of the season. When you’re being replaced by Will Grier who wasn’t ready for primetime, that’s a problem.
Nick Mullens
The ultimate wildcard. There were people who truly thought that Mullens might be a better option for the Niners than Jimmy Garoppolo. That sounds absolutely insane since Jimmy G did bring the Niners to the Super Bowl, but here we are. Some fanbase will get really excited if Mullens is signed by their team.
