NFL Power Rankings 2011: The Top Free Agent QBs and Where They Could Land
NFL power rankings 2011: The playoffs haven't even started, but it's never too early to look ahead to the 2011 NFL season.
Even with the potential for a lockout, a strike or just a general atmosphere of chaos during the offseason, teams will be busy on this year's free-agent market.
There won't be a ton of huge names available at the quarterback position—with a few obvious exceptions—but there will be some quality gunslingers who will be pursued by multiple teams.
So today we're here to take a look at the top free-agent quarterbacks in 2011.
I'll also offer my predictions on where I think they'll land and why.
Alright, let's get to it.
15. Chad Pennington
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There's a decent chance that Chad Pennington's most recent shoulder injury is career-ending, but we've seen him come back from injury before—that's why he has two Comeback Player of the Year awards.
Now Pennington isn't going to wow you with four-touchdown or 300-yard passing games.
He has just 102 career passing touchdowns and only one season with 20-plus scores. But the guy's a gamer.
Pennington's career passer rating is 90.1 and he has the highest completion percentage (66.0) in NFL history.
Where He'll Land: Miami Dolphins
He should strictly be a backup at this point, but his future seriously hinges on what happens with Tony Sparano in Miami.
14. Matt Moore
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Matt Moore is only 26 years old, so it's possible he develops into a decent starter.
But his production so far (16 career touchdowns, 17 career interceptions) hasn't been great, even though you can blame much of that on the fact he played for the Carolina Panthers this year.
Moore is also coming off a torn labrum, which he suffered in November, and he won't be able to throw for a few more months.
At this point, he'll serve as nothing more than a backup, but he actually thrived in that role in Carolina.
Where He'll Land: Cincinnati Bengals
Moore's not going back to Carolina, which will likely have Jimmy Clausen and Andrew Luck next year.
Meanwhile, the Bengals need a decent backup not named Jordan Palmer in case Carson Palmer stinks up the field again.
13. Matt Hasselbeck
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Matt Hasselbeck hasn't had a good season since the 2007 campaign and he's thrown more interceptions (44) than touchdowns (34) over the last three seasons.
During his prime, he was a very solid starting quarterback. But those days are long gone.
Hasselbeck has struggled with injuries more frequently in recent years, and as evidenced by Seattle's turn to Charlie Whitehurst, Hasselbeck's time as a starting quarterback is over.
Where He'll Land: New England Patriots
Like the Baltimore Ravens did with Marc Bulger this season, I could see the Patriots luring Hasselbeck to New England as Tom Brady's primary backup.
It gives him a chance to win a ring—even if he doesn't play—and it puts him one injury away from becoming the starter.
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12. Matt Leinart
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Has anyone with more hype done less in recent years than Matt Leinart? I'm not sure, but I'm also not ready to completely give up on him.
Leinart showed some life for the first time in a while when he completed 78.6 percent of his passes in the preseason. Yeah, I know it's the preseason, but the biggest knock on his game has been his refusal to throw the deep ball.
If Leinart can get over that, he'll be a decent pickup for a team with established players on offense.
Where He'll Land: Houston Texans
Leinart won't take up a lot of salary space. Matt Schaub is firmly entrenched as the team's franchise starter and Leinart's already had a season in the system.
He should stay in Houston.
11. Troy Smith
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Troy Smith has never really been given the opportunity to be a full-fledged NFL starter. But there's probably a reason for that: he shouldn't be.
Smith has shown decent potential with the 49ers this season, but nothing about the guy makes you think he'd even be a top 20 quarterback.
Still, the 49ers were a mess in 2010 and Smith managed to win three games as the team's starter.
That's gotta count for something.
Where He'll Land: Buffalo Bills
Sure, why not? A new regime in San Francisco means Smith's probably not back there and he's likely not going to compete for a starting job elsewhere.
At least in Buffalo he could be a backup. Otherwise, he'd be a third stringer.
10. Alex Smith
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Alex Smith just never got going in San Francisco.
He either didn't have the weapons, he got benched, or he couldn't complete passes to the weapons he actually had.
Smith's 57.1 career completion percentage and 1-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio won't make him a hot commodity, but he definitely won't be jobless in 2011.
Where He'll Land: Jacksonville Jaguars
David Garrard had a hell of a season in 2010, but he's been up and down throughout his career.
Smith would provide the the Jags with a backup who has plenty of starting experience, while Jacksonville would help Smith get away from everything that went wrong in San Francisco.
9. Drew Stanton
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Drew Stanton entered the 2010 season as the third-string quarterback in Detroit, but he played very well for a guy who never thought he'd see the field.
He kept the Lions close against the New York Giants and Chicago Bears, and he led them to a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Stanton is only 26 years old and he'll never be the full-time starter for the Lions.
He should have more value on the free agent market than people might expect.
Where He'll Land: New York Giants
Eli Manning is obviously the man in New York, but Stanton could step in as the team's primary backup.
I think the Lions will try to hold onto him, but they already have Shaun Hill and Matthew Stafford and probably won't be able to.
8. Rex Grossman
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I promise this is as high as you'll ever see Rex Grossman on a list of quarterbacks that involves the word "top."
Seriously though, as much as people like to rip on Grossman, he's looked pretty good since taking over for Donovan McNabb in Washington.
Sure Grossman still throws too many picks, but he tossed seven touchdown passes in just three starts this season.
He was 1-2 as the starter, with one of those wins coming against the Jaguars on the road and the two losses coming by a combined six points.
Grossman for MVP! Just kidding.
Where He'll Land: Washington Redskins
I expect McNabb to be gone and the Redskins are apparently high on Grossman and John Beck. It would be a surprise if both of them aren't back next season.
7. Tarvaris Jackson
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Tarvaris Jackson has struggled in his limited action as an NFL starter.
He's completed just 58.7 percent of his passes, thrown almost as many picks (22) as touchdowns (24) and never played in more than 12 games in a season.
But that's why the jury is still out on Jackson.
There just hasn't been enough playing time from him, especially in the last two years, to completely rule him out as a potential NFL starter.
Where He'll Land: Minnesota Vikings
Even if the Vikings draft a quarterback in the first round, do you really think they'd be confident going into the 2011 season with a rookie and second-year player Joe Webb as the top two quarterbacks on their depth chart?
I sure don't.
6. Marc Bulger
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Marc Bulger hasn't taken a snap in 2010, but he'd be a welcome addition to a team in need of a backup.
He had a solid career in St. Louis despite having poor supporting casts for much of his career and he brings a wealth of experience to the table.
Bulger has completed 62.1 percent of his passes for his career and has accounted for 130 total touchdowns.
Where He'll Land: Denver Broncos
A lot of this depends on the team's next coach, but it appears the Broncos are looking to build around Tim Tebow, which could mean that Denver trades Kyle Orton to help out at other positions.
If that's the case, the Broncos will want an established backup behind their second-year starter, which Bulger provides.
5. Seneca Wallace
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Seneca Wallace doesn't get a lot of love from anybody in the football world, but he's always delivered when he has seen the field.
He's not going to throw 50 passes or run for 100 yards, but he's a very good game manager who has the ability to hurt teams with his feet when he escapes from the pocket.
During his time in both Cleveland and Seattle, Wallace has done a nice job filling in whenever the team's starter has gone down.
Where He'll Land: Cleveland Browns
Mike Holmgren, who coached Wallace in Seattle, is still with the Browns, and Wallace also has a similar playing style to Colt McCoy.
They're both small, athletic and accurate passers, and McCoy could benefit from learning under Wallace's tutelage.
4. Kerry Collins
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Kerry Collins is already 38 years old, but he'll probably pull a Brett Favre and play into his 40s.
Injuries (and benching) have almost always been an issue with Collins, who hasn't played a full 16-game season since the 2002 season.
But that's sort of expected with age and Collins is coming off a solid season in 2010.
In just 10 games, he threw 14 touchdowns on a team that is traditionally run-oriented.
Where He'll Land: Tennessee Titans
Jeff Fisher, Vince Young or both could be gone, but I don't see the Titans getting rid of him either way.
He's too valuable as a backup and can even start for a good portion of the season.
3. Donovan McNabb
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OK, Donovan McNabb is still officially a Washington Redskin, but no one would be surprised if he's released sooner rather than later.
His time in Washington has been an absolute mess and he's likely on his way out.
McNabb's obviously in the latter stages of his career, but his resume speaks for itself.
He could still provide about half the teams in the league with an upgrade at quarterback.
Where He'll Land: Arizona Cardinals
McNabb has a home in Arizona and the Cardinals need a quarterback about as bad as any team in the league.
Naturally, a union between the two seems to make sense to me.
2. Michael Vick
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Michael Vick is undoubtedly having his best season as a pro and will probably finish in second in the NFL MVP voting.
He's been the most exciting player on the league's most exciting offense all season and he's finally become an elite quarterback.
There's no way the Philadelphia Eagles let him walk.
Where He'll Land: Philadelphia Eagles
Vick might be demanding too much money after just one stellar season, so I could see him getting the franchise tag.
Either way, I'd bet my house that he's back in Philadelphia.
1. Peyton Manning
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Peyton Manning has four regular season MVPs, a Super Bowl MVP and a Super Bowl ring.
He's taking the Indianapolis Colts back to the playoffs again this season for what seems like the 20th year in a row.
The NFL just wouldn't be the same without Manning in blue and white.
Where He'll Land: Indianapolis Colts
Is there any doubt that he'll re-sign with the Colts?
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