Best Landing Spots for the Remaining NFL Free-Agent QBs on the Market

The search to improve a team's quarterback room never ends. The demand is great, but a limited supply of quality signal-callers forces organizations to consider every available option. 

The quarterback market should be mostly settled from now to the NFL draft. More moves should be expected before the start of the regular season, though.

An injury or an inability to acquire a preferred prospect will usually be the main reason to sign a QB after the draft. 

At this juncture, quality starters aren't available. Reliable veterans are. And then there are the wild cards, Johnny Manziel and Colin Kaepernick.

Maybe a team wants a longtime backup in the fold to provide stability or mentor a young prospect. A franchise could be looking for options beyond their current starter. Others may be comfortable with the individuals in their locker room. 

If the right situation presents itself, the following six quarterbacks will find new homes at some point during the 2018 campaign.

Arizona Cardinals: Jay Cutler

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Desperation causes teams to do funny things. The Arizona Cardinals are set (sort of) at quarterback after the Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon signings. 

Bradford steps into the void created by Carson Palmer's retirement. The Cardinals organization made a significant one-year, $20 million investment in its new starting quarterback despite concerns over a degenerative knee issue. The 2010 No. 1 overall pick played in only two games for the Minnesota Vikings last season before his twice-repaired left knee needed a scope that forced him onto injured reserve. 

"As a player, you can't focus on it," Bradford said, per Viking Update's John Holler. "I trust the process I've been through to this point. I know the strength staff here [in Arizona], the training staff here. We talked about putting in the plan to make sure my knee is as healthy as it can become Week 1." 

How long Bradford's ailing knee holds up remains unknown, and Glennon proved last season he's not a starting-caliber signal-caller. Also, Arizona owns the 15th overall pick in April's draft and may not be in a position to select a potential franchise quarterback. 

Jay Cutler, meanwhile, is teetering on the precipice of retirement. He nearly left the game and entered a broadcast booth last year before his former coach, Adam Gase, called. Can he be coaxed out of possible retirement a second time if the Cardinals need help because of Bradford's fragility? 

It may not seem likely now, but Cutler is a rare starting option if Bradford can no longer endure the NFL's rigors, whereas Arizona may be the only opportunity for the 12-year veteran to start before riding into the sunset. 

Buffalo Bills: Matt Moore

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

The Buffalo Bills' desire to trade up in the draft and acquire a top quarterback prospect is the NFL's worst-kept secret. Matt Moore's inclusion to the roster would be a wise investment whether or not the organization succeeds in its goal. 

The Bills quarterback room will become crowded with the 33-year-old's addition, but his presence can't be overstated. Buffalo doesn't have a steadying hand among its quarterbacks since AJ McCarron has never been a full-time starter and Nathan Peterman is entering his second campaign (if he even makes the final roster). 

Moore wouldn't be signed to push McCarron, either. Instead, Moore's 11 seasons of experience should help McCarron as he transitions into a bigger role (assuming he starts).

Also, the longtime Miami Dolphins backup has experience in Brian Daboll's offensive system. Moore originally signed with the Dolphins to play for then-head coach Tony Sparano and Daboll. He started 12 games in 2011, though the entire staff was fired once the campaign ended. His understanding of the Bills' new offensive coordinator and his playbook could be invaluable, especially if another young quarterback is obtained. 

Moore is a solid backup option, a good spot starter and a potential mentor for a franchise trying to stabilize the game's most important position. 

Los Angeles Chargers: Mark Sanchez

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

There's no place like home, and Mark Sanchez can return to the place where he once developed into a first-round pick. A potential signing with the Los Angeles Chargers is about far more than just bringing the former USC quarterback to the City of Angels. Sanchez can serve as a short-term solution to a long-term problem. 

Philip Rivers will turn 37 years old during the 2018 campaign. The Chargers lack a veteran backup, as Kellen Clemens remains unsigned, and Cardale Jones isn't necessarily the team's quarterback of the future. 

Sanchez transitioned well from former high-round draft selection to a solid veteran option who is willing to help incoming talent. Mitchell Trubisky called Sanchez a "great mentor" last season, according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Adam L. Jahns. 

"He provides that juice I need—[you] can never be down, everyone's looking at me," Trubisky said last season. "He continues to remind me of that. When everyone's looking to relax or go spend time with their family, he's like, 'Hey, Mitch, got to bring juice to practice this week. If you bring the juice, then everyone else is going to be practicing well.'" 

The Chargers must start planning for their future, and Sanchez can help the coaching staff develop a potential draft pick while also backing up Rivers. 

New England Patriots: Johnny Manziel

Eric Gay/Associated Press

At this point, Johnny Manziel is nothing more than an attraction as he attempts to rehabilitate his image and restart his football career. NFL teams haven't written him off, though. According to Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman, NFL executives still believe the 2014 first-round pick has "off-the-charts" potential. 

Manziel completed nine of his 15 pass attempts for 82 yards and a touchdown in his Spring League debut and first football action since the 2015 campaign. 

On-field performance is the least of Manziel's worries. He has to bury the perception he's still the same person who didn't study his playbook, never put in the extra work and, instead, preferred an outlandish off-field persona. 

"The message that I'm sending is showing up every day and going to meetings," the 25-year-old quarterback told ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert. "Being engaged in everything that is going on during practice and in the game. I can't control what is going on [with NFL teams' interest], and I don't know what's going on in NFL meetings. If that's the case, if the NFL is something that pops up, cool. If not, I'm going to work until I get back there. We'll see how things play out."

Manziel could serve as a potential lottery ticket for a team, like the New England Patriots, that isn't in a position to draft a top quarterback prospect yet needs a young signal-caller to develop.

If the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner can't succeed in the Patriots' professional and demanding atmosphere, he won't be successful for any NFL team. 

New York Giants: Derek Anderson

Mike McCarn/Associated Press

The New York Giants may or may not select a quarterback with the second overall pick. Eli Manning is still entrenched as the team's starter, and the organization plans to maximize its last years with the two-time Super Bowl champion. 

In doing so, the franchise's long-term strategy may be put on hold to concentrate on short-term gains by selecting a non-quarterback with its first top-five pick since 2004 (the year it acquired Manning in a draft-day trade).

Right now, Davis Webb is the Giants' only backup quarterback. Former general manager Jerry Reese chose Webb in the third round of last year's draft. Current general manager Dave Gettleman may view the 23-year-old project as nothing more than a sunk cost. 

Depending on the team's direction, Derek Anderson could be a wonderful backup solution having played for new offensive coordinator Mike Shula the entire length of the assistant coach's time with the Carolina Panthers. Anderson immediately becomes a sounding board for Eli in this scenario. 

If the Giants choose a quarterback with the second overall pick, Anderson is a good fit because he spent the last seven seasons working hand in hand with Cam Newton once he entered the league as the 2011 first overall pick.

Seattle Seahawks: Colin Kaepernick

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Colin Kaepernick is a talented quarterback capable of playing in the NFL. Will a team finally look past the noise and sign him to be a backup?

The Seattle Seahawks expressed interest in signing Kaepernick before last year's decision to sign Austin Davis and develop Trevone Boykin on the practice squad. 

"Colin's been a fantastic football player, and he's going to continue to be," Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said in June, per ESPN.com's Sheil Kapadia. "At this time, we didn't do anything with it, but we know where he is and who he is and we had a chance to understand him much more so. He's a starter in this league. And we have a starter. But he's a starter in this league, and I can't imagine that someone won't give him a chance to play."

The team's need is greater today because Davis is a free agent and the Seahawks released Boykin after he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend. Russell Wilson is the only quarterback on the roster. A heavy workload is placed upon Wilson, not only as a passer but in the running game and avoiding pressure as well. Kaepernick presents a similar skill set and, if Seattle's starter is injured, he's an ideal replacement. 

Carroll and Co. have a chance to add a starting-caliber player on the bench behind Wilson by signing Kaepernick and make a statement to the rest of the league while they're at it.