Fixing the NFL's Unsettled Quarterback Situations Entering 2021 Free Agency
NFL teams made blockbuster transactions before free agency. We've witnessed unprecedented quarterback movement this offseason. If the deals hold, three starters will play for new clubs in 2021.
On top of trades that involve veterans, five quarterback prospects may come off the draft board within the top 15 picks in April.
As teams weigh all options at the most important position in the NFL, we could see a few more notable players traded before the new league year starts March 17.
While front offices sort out quarterback plans, we'll offer solutions for teams in need of answers. Let's discuss nine clubs headed toward free agency without a clear-cut plan or a firm starter for the 2021 season.
The list below doesn't include teams strictly interested in the Houston Texans' Deshaun Watson as an upgrade or clubs expected to franchise-tag a quarterback.
Carolina Panthers: Draft a Quarterback in the 1st Round
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Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will go into the second term of his three-year deal with the Carolina Panthers, and he's already on the hot seat.
According to The Athletic's Joseph Person, owner David Tepper wants to make changes under center:
"League sources expect the Panthers to be players in the Watson Sweepstakes, with the sense that owner David Tepper has grown frustrated and wants a franchise quarterback after two years of an injured Cam Newton, with cameos by Taylor Heinicke, Kyle Allen and Will Grier, and an underwhelming showing by Teddy Bridgewater last fall in his first season in Charlotte."
Carolina isn't just locked onto Deshaun Watson. Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, it offered Bridgewater, the No. 8 overall pick and a fifth-rounder for Matthew Stafford before the Detroit Lions dealt the latter to the Los Angeles Rams.
Barring a deal for Watson, the Panthers will likely go into the draft with Bridgewater as a stopgap option and an eye for a young signal-caller.
In their current draft spot, the Panthers could land North Dakota State's Trey Lance, but they should call the New York Jets (No. 2), Miami Dolphins (No. 3), Cincinnati Bengals (No. 5) and Philadelphia Eagles (No. 6) to move up for Ohio State's Justin Fields or BYU's Zach Wilson. Both signal-callers had strong 2020 seasons and fit the profile of modern-day quarterbacks because of their blend of arm talent and mobility.
Fields has two years of high-level starting experience. Wilson posted impressive passing numbers without a supporting cast of household names, throwing for 3,692 yards, 33 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Chicago Bears: Sign Andy Dalton, Monitor Sam Darnold's Situation
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Going into the offseason, Nick Foles projects as the Chicago Bears' starting quarterback. He's the only player at the position on their books in 2021.
Chicago cannot trust Foles to start for an entire season. The 32-year-old hasn't played in more than nine contests in a single campaign since 2015 because of benchings and injuries.
The Bears should acquire a quarterback who's more consistent than Foles or still has great upside.
Although Andy Dalton hasn't won a postseason game, he served as the primary starter for every Cincinnati Bengals team that clinched playoff berths between 2011 and 2015. While filling in for Dak Prescott, the 33-year-old almost led the Dallas Cowboys to a division title this past season.
General manager Ryan Pace heads into a contract year, and head coach Matt Nagy has two terms left on his deal, but Chicago could go in another direction at both positions if the team fails to make the playoffs next season.
Without time to groom a young quarterback from the draft, Pace and Nagy need stability at the position. Dalton isn't a franchise player, but he's solid and has experience with offensive coordinator Bill Lazor from their time in Cincinnati.
If the New York Jets choose a quarterback with the No. 2 pick, Chicago should offer a second-rounder and a fifth-rounder for quarterback Sam Darnold, who's still just 23 years old and capable of making strides with a playoff-ready roster.
The Bears can cut tight end Jimmy Graham and aging right tackle Bobby Massie (post-June 1 release) to save $15 million in cap space. With the immediate financial relief, they could absorb Darnold's $9.8 million 2021 cap hit.
Houston Texans: Work on a Deshaun Watson Deal with the Miami Dolphins
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The Houston Texans' standoff with quarterback Deshaun Watson could linger late into the offseason. The front office should move on to define a direction for the franchise.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Watson requested a trade before the Texans hired head coach David Culley. He has leverage in this situation with a no-trade clause in his deal.
Yet general manager Nick Caserio has no intention to trade Watson, per ESPN's Sarah Barshop.
In the event that Caserio changes his mind, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (h/t uSTADIUM) believes the Texans would want a shot to select the second-best quarterback in this year's draft class. If so, the New York Jets (No. 2 overall) and Miami Dolphins (No. 3 overall) could become potential trade partners.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Dolphins are "expected to be in the mix" for Watson.
Watson would consider waiving his no-trade clause for the Dolphins, per ESPN's Chris Mortensen.
Miami can include the No. 3 overall pick in a blockbuster deal with Houston, which allows the Texans a chance to select a blue-chip quarterback prospect. If they have a different ranking than the Jets, Caserio and Co. could land their franchise signal-caller.
The Texans can request to include Tua Tagovailoa in a trade with the Dolphins in case they miss out on their preferred quarterback option with the Jets in the No. 2 spot. Miami wouldn't need Tagovailoa with Watson on the roster.
With a young quarterback and premium draft picks from the Dolphins, the Texans can move forward in rebuilding the roster instead of forcing a disgruntled quarterback, who has trade leverage, to stay in Houston.
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Jacksonville Jaguars: Select Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 Overall Pick
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The Jacksonville Jaguars cannot mess this up. They have the No. 1 overall pick with Trevor Lawrence coming off a decorated three-year collegiate career at Clemson.
He has won a national title and finished as the runner-up for the 2020 Heisman Trophy. Since his true freshman term, he's performed at a high level, throwing for 10,098 yards, 90 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
Lawrence makes quick decisions while cycling through his targets, has a feel for the pocket and adjusts his throwing velocity to complete passes all over the field. He doesn't have elite accuracy but showed moderate improvement in ball placement over the last two seasons.
The 6'6", 220-pounder naturally evades pressure and uses his legs to move the chains, rushing for 943 yards and 18 touchdowns as a collegian.
Barring an absolutely shocking in-division trade that involves Deshaun Watson going to the Jaguars, Lawrence will start under center in Jacksonville.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Lawrence is set to undergo shoulder surgery, but he'll recover in time for training camp. Every single mock draft might as well list him as the No. 1 overall pick because that's the right choice.
New England Patriots: Sign Jacoby Brissett, Draft a Quarterback at No. 15
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When the Philadelphia Eagles agreed to send Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts, a secondary storyline went unnoticed in the shadow of another quarterback on the move.
As Wentz prepares for a new career chapter in Indianapolis, impending free agent Jacoby Brissett has to weigh his options elsewhere. Before the trade deal, general manager Chris Ballard made a point to mention the latter as a potential starter next season.
Brissett served as a backup for Philip Rivers this past season. Now headed to the open market, he could compete for a starting job with another team.
The New England Patriots don't have an obvious lead signal-caller on the roster with Jarrett Stidham and Jake Dolegala on the books. They can sign Brissett, whom they selected in the third round of the 2016 draft.
As a rookie, Brissett only started two games for the Patriots. Five years later, he has more experience in live action, starting in 30 contests for the Colts.
Despite his age, Brissett has room to grow with limited time under center. He could become a solid bridge-gap option who's familiar with the coaching staff. With him, the Patriots can still draft a quarterback to give themselves options going forward.
If available, Alabama's Mac Jones draws some intrigue because of his accurate arm (74.3 percent completion rate). North Dakota's State's Trey Lance can slide to No. 15 with just one year as a starter against FCS competition, though he's a dynamic playmaker because of his mobility. Both could take a year to learn behind Brissett.
New Orleans Saints: Re-Sign Jameis Winston
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Even though quarterback Drew Brees hasn't announced whether he'll retire, the New Orleans Saints must plan for the future.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Brees is expected to hang up his cleats, and Jameis Winston sits in the proverbial "driver's seat" to succeed the former.
In 2020, Taysom Hill made four starts in place of Brees. He provided another dimension to the offense as a rushing threat, but the athletic signal-caller fumbled six times during that stretch.
Winston doesn't extend many plays with his legs like Hill has done. Working in his favor, however, he has a more extensive body of work operating an offense with a traditional resume at the position, having strictly played quarterback on the collegiate level up until this point.
The Saints will likely give Winston, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2015 draft, another shot to earn a lead role. Because he only appeared in four contests this past season, the 27-year-old shouldn't cost much on the open market, which bodes well for a team that's $69.5 million over the salary-cap limit.
Even if Winston doesn't emerge as the starter this offseason, the cash-strapped Saints have a low-cost option to push Hill in a legitimate quarterback battle.
New York Jets: Select Justin Fields with the No. 2 Overall Pick
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The New York Jets will need to make tough decisions, but they're in a good spot unlike other quarterback-needy clubs with limited options.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Jets will take their time to fully evaluate the incoming class of quarterbacks. If Gang Green selects one of them with the No. 2 overall pick, Sam Darnold's time in New York would come to an end.
Through three seasons, Darnold has dealt with instability, playing under two coaching staffs. He also battled mononucleosis and injuries during his time with the team, missing 10 games.
On the field, Darnold has mixed some spectacular plays with head-scratching decisions that led to turnovers. He's thrown for 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions.
Darnold could flourish if the Jets surround him with more weapons and another upgrade or two across the offensive line, but general manager Joe Douglas and first-time head coach Robert Saleh will have an opportunity to build their vision for the team from scratch.
With that said, the Jets should take Justin Fields at No. 2.
Zach Wilson has an early history of injuries (shoulder and hand) with only one full season as a starter. In comparison, Fields doesn't have the same question marks about his durability. He actually played through an injury and beat Clemson in the 2020 College Football Playoff semifinals. Secondly, the Ohio State product has two full years of starting experience.
Although Fields played at Ohio State, he didn't play with a bunch of highly touted pass-catchers. Wideout Chris Olave was the most notable name of the receiving group over the last two terms, and he doesn't have more than 50 receptions in a single campaign or a 1,000-yard season on his resume.
As the Jets rebuild their roster, Fields can make the most of his offensive weapons.
Philadelphia Eagles: Build Around Jalen Hurts
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The Philadelphia Eagles went through a short trial period with Jalen Hurts at the end of this past season. Now, they should buy into the full experience with him.
Once the Eagles agreed to trade Carson Wentz, Hurts emerged as a huge winner in the aftermath. The latter started four games in place of the former, whom the team benched down the stretch.
Hurts threw for 1,061 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions with an uninspiring 52 percent completion rate. Despite his accuracy issues, the 2020 second-rounder gave the offense a much-needed spark in the final quarter of the campaign.
After an offseason program in the lead role, Hurts could see significant progress in his second term. If he works on ball placement and accuracy, defenses will struggle against him because of his ability as a ball-carrier. The dual-threat signal-caller rushed for 354 yards and three touchdowns in 2020.
The Eagles could consider Ohio State's Justin Fields or BYU's Zach Wilson if either prospect remains on the board at No. 6, but according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter, Philadelphia will "likely" tab Hurts as the starter.
Hurts must impress new head coach Nick Sirianni and his staff, but he's more than capable of building on his playmaking flashes from this past year.
Washington Football Team: Acquire Marcus Mariota, Cut Alex Smith
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In 2020, the Washington Football Team clinched a playoff berth with three different starting quarterbacks through the regular season and then employed a fourth in their wild-card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Among the four, Washington has re-signed Taylor Heinicke, who started in the postseason game. The club can tender exclusive-rights free agent Kyle Allen, who's recovering from a dislocated ankle. Dwayne Haskins signed a reserve/future contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler (h/t Bleacher Report's Tyler Conway), Alex Smith wants to play in 2021 but didn't specify a team.
Smith won the 2020 Comeback Player of the Year honor after a miraculous return from a life-threatening leg injury and subsequent infections that required 17 surgeries. Still, he's going into his age-37 term after throwing for just six touchdowns and eight interceptions on a deal with a $23.3 million cap hit in 2021.
Secondly, in an interview with Clay Skipper of GQ, Smith expressed that Washington's new coaching staff didn't fully embrace him in the team's plans after he had missed the entire 2019 campaign.
With a playoff-caliber roster, Washington should continue to lean on a veteran signal-caller who can stabilize the offense. At Smith's age, even at a reduced pay rate, he's a risky starter.
The Athletic's Michael Lombardi told VSiN host Patrick Meagher that Washington is "extremely interested" in Marcus Mariota, who has an $11.4 million cap hit with a $7.5 million escalator if he plays 60 percent of the snaps in 12 outings next season (h/t ESPN's John Keim).
Washington should allow Smith to chase opportunities elsewhere and go all-in on Mariota, who had a solid performance against the Los Angeles Chargers this past season, throwing for 226 yards, a touchdown and an interception with 88 rushing yards and a score.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Mariota's trade market has "dried up significantly." The Football Team should be able to acquire him in exchange for a fifth-round pick.
If Washington acquires the revitalized form of Mariota, it's a playoff-contending squad in 2021.
Projected 2021 salary-cap space and player contracts courtesy of Over The Cap.
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