The quarterback carousel figures to get busy when free agency unfolds next month. Tom Brady, of course, is the biggest name but there are plenty others that could shake up the signal-calling situation around the NFL.
Arizona Cardinals
Arizona appears to be set for many years to come after drafting Kyler Murray with the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Heisman winner from Oklahoma was the Offensive Rookie of the Year. Makes up for the 2018 first pick by the team, UCLA QB Josh Rosen, who struggled in Arizona and Miami after being dealt to the Dolphins.
Atlanta Falcons
Matt Ryan will be starting his 13th season as Falcons quarterback. He has played in 189 games and started every one of them. Ryan has thrown for 51,186 yards and will be turn 35 in May. It could be time for Atlanta to start thinking about grooming a replacement for the former Boston College star. Contractually, Ryan has a potential out after the 2021 season and would be a UFA in 2024.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are set for a long while with Lamar Jackson at quarterback. The MVP had a dazzling second season making the Baltimore brass look brilliant for taking the Heisman winner out of Louisville with the 32nd overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft. He is 19-3 as a starter.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills have their own dual threat quarterback in Josh Allen, who showed great growth in his second season after being chosen out of Wyoming. Allen is 15-12 as a starter for Sean McDermott. However, he improved from 5-6 as a rookie to 10-6 in 2019.
Carolina Panthers
The quarterback situation in Carolina in murky. Cam Newton will be 31 when this season kicks off. He played two games in 2019. He would be an UFA after the 2020 season. Newton believes he is returning to the Panthers. However, there are rumors the Heisman winner out of Auburn could be trade bait. Could Newton replace Philip Rivers with the Chargers? The Panthers have Kyle Allen and Will Grier on the roster. Not sure if either is a long-term solution to the quarterback situation.
Chicago Bears
The Bears traded up in 2017 to draft Mitchell Trubisky out of North Carolina. He struggled as rookie, was strong in his second season and suffered a weak third season. What’s Matt Nagy going to do? A fifth-year option is available to the team in 2021. Will Chicago wait to see if Trubisky improves or will it decide it made a mistake? Intriguing.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have the No. 1 overall pick in 2020 and everyone believes they will use it to take Ohio native and LSU star Joe Burrow. Where does that leave Andy Dalton, who is going to earn $17.5M in 2021. He would be an UFA after this season. There is also Ryan Finley, a fourth-round pick in 2019 out of North Carolina State. Finley was 0-3 as a rookie in his starts.
Cleveland Browns
Baker Mayfield is coming off a disappointing second season as quarterback in Cleveland. The Heisman winner out of Oklahoma is saying all the right things about maturing and growth. Now, he has to deliver off the field and on it for a team that was an 100-yard circus in 2019.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have a decision to make about Dak Prescott. Does Jerry Jones believe the quarterback who has gone 40-24 as the starter since being drafted out of Mississippi State the future of the franchise? Dallasnews.com points out Prescott finished second in the league with 4,902 passing yards while totaling 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His season was the fifth in NFL history to exceed 4,900 passing yards with fewer than 12 picks. Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Ryan (twice) are the only players to achieve those marks. The belief is he will be franchised if a long-term deal is not agreed upon by the parties.
Denver Broncos
In a short sample, Drew Lock showed a lot as a rookie. He was 4-1 in five starts for Denver. John Elway had to like that and the Broncos have to hope the future is in the hands of the former Missouri star. Joe Flacco finished 2019 on IR. The veteran is looking at having an MRI on his neck this month to see if he needs surgery. It does not appear as if lightning will strike twice and Flacco will deliver a Super Bowl championship the way Peyton Manning did in his second act as a Bronco.
Detroit Lions
Matthew Stafford was injured in 2019 and missed half the season. He will be entering his 12th season as quarterback of the Lions after being taken first overall in 2009 out of Georgia. Stafford just turned 32 and playing QB for Detroit has added years on to his body. Stafford has a potential out in 2021. Otherwise, he won’t be a UFA until 2023. The Lions have to start thinking about the future. David Blough, Kyler Sloter and Jeff Driskel don’t seem to fit the role as the future.
Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers will turn 37 in December. He’s the present for Green Bay, which is coming off a 13-3 bounce-back season. Behind the great Rodgers are Tim Boyle and Manny Wilkins. Green Bay has to hope its veteran stays healthy for the foreseeable future.
Houston Texans
Houston has a gem in Deshaun Watson. He is another dual threat and has gone 24-13 as a starter with double-digit wins in the last two seasons. The Texans are set with Watson at quarterback for as long as they can keep him under contract. He’s proven to be a steal as the 12th overall pick in 2017.
Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis coach Frank Reich could not have expected quarterback being a question prior to the 2019 season. However, Andrew Luck’s retirement thrust Jacoby Brissett into the starting job. He has gone 11-19 in 30 starts for the Colts. There has been some thought Indy could look into landing Philip Rivers, who has parted ways with the Los Angeles Chargers. Rivers is coming off a bad season with the Bolts. He will 39 during the upcoming season. There’s a difference between making a team a playoff contender and a Super Bowl contender. Rivers would be a risky move that could have some rewards or …
Jacksonville Jaguars
After seasons of struggle with Blake Bortles, the Jaguars settled on their future by giving Nick Foles a massive, free-agent contract. Foles was injured and Gardner Minshew II stepped in and provided excitement. Doug Marrone has a quarterback decision to make. A crazy stat: 11 quarterbacks have started three or more games for Jacksonville and five have wound up with a Super Bowl ring .. elsewhere: Foles, Chad Henne, Steve Beuerlein, Mark Brunell, Byron Leftwich.
Kansas City Chiefs
All you need to say is: Patrick Mahomes.
Las Vegas Raiders
Derek Carr is the quarterback … for now. He’s a polarizing figure in Silver * Back and would anyone be shocked if Jon Gruden opted to move in a different direction? For the time being, Carr has the keys to the offense.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Bolts have moved on from Philip Rivers, who came to the team in 2004 and backed up Drew Brees before taking the reins in 2006. What’s next? Tyrod Taylor and Easton Stick are on the roster. Could they make a play for Cam Newton? The Chargers sit sixth in the first round so someone like Oregon’s Justin Herbert could be in play. The Chargers had success with a quarterback from Oregon years ago: Hall-of-Famer Dan Fouts.
Los Angeles Rams
Jared Goff struggled after a season that saw the Rams advance to the Super Bowl in 2018. He is under a massive long-term contract. However, there is a 2023 out. Otherwise, Goff would not be an UFA until 2025.
Miami Dolphins
The good news was the way Ryan Fitzpatrick performed in 2019. The bad was Josh Rosen failing to capitalize on a chance to become the quarterback of the present and future for the Fish.
Minnesota Vikings
Kirk Cousins heads into the final year of his $84M contract with Minnesota. Talk about the ultimate contract year. Cousins needs to deliver big time for the purple. It will be one of the fascinating quarterback stories to watch through 2020 and into the offseason if the quarterback and the Vikings dont work something out before he becomes an UFA.
New England Patriots
What will Tom Brady do? If he stays in New England, all this drama will be much ado about nothing. If he leaves for a second team, the NFL world will quiver and it would create decisions for the Patriots and other teams. How will the dominoes fall?
New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees is a UFA. He is likely to return but so long as there isn’t a name on the contract, there is drama. That is where things get interesting in New Orleans. Teddy Bridgewater was stellar replacing Brees in 2019. And Taysom Hill, who is a restricted free agent, believes he is a franchise quarterback. Bridgewater is a UFA. This is definitely a situation worth following and it could get quite interesting.
New York Giants
Eli Manning has retired. Big Blue is set with Daniel Jones, who had a good rookie season and shows major promise.
New York Jets
The Jets are set at quarterback as Sam Darnold heads into his third season.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles paid Carson Wentz big bucks to be their quarterback. However, he is injury-prone and that has to be a huge concern for Philly. There is a potential 2023 out. However, it is a long time until then and Doug Pederson has to hope Wentz gets through an entire season unscathed.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Ben Roethlisberger should be healthy and able to return for the 2020 season. If such is the case, the Steelers are in good hands. The 2019 season saw Duck Hodges and Mason Rudolph replace the injured Roethlisberger. Mike Tomline did an amazing job as he navigated the team through an incredibly challenging quarterback situation.
San Francisco 49ers
Lead the team to the Super Bowl and what is your reward? Media critics wondering if Jimmy Garoppolo is the man to lead Jimmy Garoppolo to a championship. Should the Niners trade him? Should they trade him for Tom Brady? All Garoppolo did was lead the Niners to a 13-3 record and two playoff wins. He should call Jared Goff to discuss careers.
Seattle Seahawks
Seattle is set with Russell Wilson. A true gamer.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jameis Winston’s 30-30 season is enough to give indigestion to Bruce Arians and Bucs fans. Don’t get the feeling the Bucs can bank on Winston as their present and future. Could they sign Philip Rivers, who moved his family to Florida? That is a stretch since they don’t seem like they are a quarterback away from winning the Super Bowl.
Tennessee Titans
Ryan Tannehill had a superb contract drive — if you want to call it that — through the second half of 2019. Will Mike Vrabel bank on the quarterback who is going to be 32 this season? Marcus Mariota appears to have run his course in Tennessee.
Washington Redskins
Washington has a new coach in Ron Rivera. He is going to have to bank on 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins from Ohio State to develop into a franchise quarterback. That feels like an iffy proposition — at best.
