The quarterback position is a key position in the NFL and this season there has been a lot of movement to report! From legend Tom Brady to ex-MVP Cam Newton via Nick Foles or Philip Rivers, WeSport looks back for you on all the movements concerning this position always a little apart.
Veterans with golden hands
They are all over 38 but these quarterbacks still have the edge, whether they change shirts or stay in their franchise of heart, these three veterans have just signed a last big contract to ensure their retirement (in case this was not already the case).
The Brady earthquake
We obviously start with the legend Tom Brady! Impossible to miss the info. After 20 seasons and 6 titles in the Patriots jersey, Brady signed up with Tampa Bay for a final challenge. Amount of delirium for Buccanners: $ 50 million over two years. But having the GOAT in your team is priceless!
Welcome to Tampa Bay, @TomBrady. ???? pic.twitter.com/VJooGYwwiA
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) March 20, 2020
Another player to change team, Philip Rivers. Less known than Tom Brady, he will also know a second team. After 16 seasons with the Chargers, he signed a one-year contract at Indianapolis which paid $ 25M to bring Rivers in.
Unlike his two friends, Drew Brees has decided to stay in his franchise of heart. The legendary Saints quarterback has signed a final two-year contract. In passing, he takes a nice check for $ 50M!
Luxury replacements
They are quality quarterbacks but will have to be satisfied with roles of understudies next season. Yes, but nothing is set in the NFL. They will come to put pressure on the holders and in case of poor performance, they could be propelled starting like Ryan Tannehill last season.
We also find in this category Marcus Mariota. Evicted from Tennessee by a certain Ryan T, he arrives in Las Vegas with a vengeance and he fully intends to reverse the roles. In the role of the chased Derek Carr, the quarterback of the Raiders is good but “nothing more”. He will therefore not have the right to make mistakes this season. The leaders put pressure on him with the arrival of Mariota.
Trubisky in danger
Ditto for Mitchell Trubisky. The one who was drafted before Patrick Mahomes in 2017 by the Bears was very average last season and the leaders of Chicago are starting to have doubts about his talent … The arrival of Nick Foles in Illinois, after his failure in Jacksonville, will therefore put a lot of pressure on Mitch Trubisky. If he should start in week 1, things could quickly change on the Chicago side! Because even if he was not at the party last season, Nick Foles remains a quarterback who won a Superbowl.
For Case Keenum, the hierarchy will be more difficult to shake. The former quarterback of the Vikings, Broncos or Redskins has just made three franchises in three seasons. He’s signed to the Browns as a Baker Mayfield understudy and it would really take an earthquake for him to pass the one who embodies the renewal of the franchise.
Who’s in charge of the Patriots?
This is obviously one of the questions of the offseason: who to replace Tom Brady at the Patriots? Drafted last season, Jarrett Stidham will be in competition with Bryan Hoyer. The 34-year-old former Colts quarterback has already passed through Foxborough but is far from being a reliable and quality solution. Rarely a starter in his 12 seasons in the NFL, it is hard to imagine him replacing legend Brady. Hoyer while waiting for something better?
Finally, Kyle Allen arrives in the capital as a replacement for Dwayne Haskins. The former Panthers quarterback alternated good and bad last season when he was able to take advantage of Cam Newton’s injury to play. However Dwane Haskins represents the future of the Redskins and it is difficult to see him regain the bench at the first misstep. But we are not immune to anything in Washington!
Le pari Bridgewater
This is perhaps the most daring bet of this off-season. Fire a quarterback MVP and give the keys to offense to a quarterback whose last full season is now 5 years. Say like that, the idea seems far-fetched and yet that’s what the leaders of the Panthers have decided. Exit Cam Newton and welcome Teddy Bridgewater!
The former Saints quarterback had hinted at some potential in his first two seasons in Minnesota (2014 and 2015) but numerous injuries have spoiled his rise. Transferred to the Saints in 2018, he spent two seasons in the shadow of Drew Brees. Last season, he had been pretty good when the boss was injured (6 games in total) but from there to make him a holder … Especially since the leaders of Carolina offered him a big contract. The former No. 2 of the Saints signs for 3 years at $ 20M per season. It’s a very big risk taken by the Panthers and by the new coach Matt Rhule!
Faithful to the post
IF there has been any change, some quarterbacks have decided to stay! We recap, in short, the players who have re-signed with their franchise.
The negotiations with Dak Prescott promised to be long and complicated. The Cowboys leaders therefore took the lead and placed a “franchise tag” on their quarterback. The situation is therefore frozen for a year. Time to find a long-term deal with Prescott.
Ryan Tannehill, who started the season with the Titans, was rewarded for his very good season. He signs a new 4-year, $ 118M contract with Tennessee. We can talk about a jackpot for a quarterback who started the season as a substitute.
Another extension, that of Kirk Cousins who extended his two-year contract with the Vikings. Sometimes criticized, it still has the confidence of its leaders and that is the main thing!
The XFL lands in the NFL
The 1time edition of the XFL took place this year. If the competition could not go to the end due to a certain virus, the level displayed was a nice surprise. We will therefore find players from this league in the NFL next season. If two quarterbacks stamped XFL put their bags in NFL their fate may be different.
PJ Walker is the most successful quarterback in XFL. Thanks to his performances, he landed a contract with the Panthers. He will start the season as a replacement for Teddy Bridgewater but it is not impossible to see him start before the end of the season if the Bridgewater experience turns out badly!
For Jordan Ta’amu, the equation is different. The quarterback spent in the Texans roster last season signed a contract with the defending champion! He will therefore have a role of double see third quarterback in Kansas City. But who would refuse to train for at least one season with Patrick Mahomes!
La draft
There is free-agency but the draft remains the best way to find the quarterback of the future. The next draft should mark the arrival of two or three quarterbacks who will have an almost immediate role in the NFL. If the arrival of Joe Burrow in Cincinnati is hardly in doubt, there’s also a good chance Justin Herbert will replace Philip Rivers at the Chargers.
Which team for Tua?
Finally concerning Tua Tagovailoa, its point of fall is more uncertain. His serious injury last year means that he should not be operational from the start of the season. It will be necessary to see which team tries the bet of a player certainly exceptional but regularly injured. The Dolphins, Lions see the Chargers seem favorites to welcome Tua. It’s hard to imagine this player coming out of the Top 10!
Obviously other quarterbacks will be selected in the next draft. Players like Jordan Love, Jalen Hurts or Jacob Eason should discover the NFL and a story à la Gardner Minshew (selected at 6th round in the last draft) is still possible!
Cam Newton and Jameis Winston the last dominoes
The quarterback position is often subject to a domino effect in the NFL. The arrival of a quarterback at one club pushes another towards the exit and so on. The arrival of Teddy Bridgewater in Carolina and Tom Brady in Tampa Bay thus caused the departure of Cam Newton and Jameis Winston.
These two quarterbacks, former n ° 1 in the draft, are both under 30 years old and Cam Newton was even elected MVP in 2015. In theory, they should therefore not struggle to find work. Yes but here it is, almost all franchises have a quarterback for next season and we do not see Newton or Winston starting the season as a replacement …
Los Angeles or New England as a drop-off point?
Tom Brady gone, so there is a vacancy with the Patriots. If it’s hard to imagine Jameis Winston aka “the man of 30 interceptions” replacing the GOAT, the Cam Newton track could be more serious. The problem remains the state of health of the former Panthers player. After playing injured in 2018, he almost missed the entirety of last season. Another problem, nowadays, medical checks or examinations are more difficult to carry out (Covid obliges …). The franchises likely to welcome the ex-MVP are therefore not jostling.
Cam out here slinging it ????????
(via @CameronNewton) pic.twitter.com/UmSiP9DFnt
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) March 30, 2020
For the Chargers, the Justin Herbert scenario seems the most likely, but the Los Angeles franchise might be tempted to recruit an experienced quarterback to coach Herbert one or two seasons. But do these two really have the heads of mentors?
Other possible drop-off points: Washington, Detroit or Miami. Even though his franchises seem to have other plans in mind, they have proven to us in recent years that their management can sometimes be difficult to understand!
Retirement for Joe Flacco?
We end this quarterback roster review with Joe Flacco. Released by the Broncos, the former quarterback winner of the Superbowl in 2012 with the Ravens, is also on the market. But at 35 and with a neck injury, the end of his career seems near for the former MVP of the Superbowl!
It’s okay almost all franchises have their quarterback (s) for next season! Only the draft and the transfer of Newton or Winston will be able to reshuffle the cards one last time.
