The NFL hasn’t seen a list of available free-agent quarterbacks like the ones potentially hitting the open market this coming offseason.
The most important position in the National Football League is also the hardest to fill.
While some teams reach for a franchise quarterback in the draft, other franchises will help rotate the same uninspired options as potential starters (or at least veteran placeholders) because there are not enough men in the world who can stand in the pocket under pressure and deliver the football accurately.
At least not on the level required to do so and win in the NFL.
It’s the reason the Case Keenums of the world are still somehow unemployed. It’s the reason Joe Flacco was sold as an actual exciting starting option by the Denver Broncos, and it’s why Tampa Bay will think about yet another with Jameis Winston under center. It’s how the likes of Colt McCoy or Mike Glennon will somehow still have a job five years from now.
For most teams, the journey to find any real answer at quarterback comes only in the NFL Draft. Very few players actually make it to free agency. After all, if a team has a player who fits the ultra-rare profile of successful NFL quarterback, the organization will do everything in its power to retain him. This year, however, there could be plenty of selections for teams needing a quick jolt of help at quarterback.
Certainly some of the quarterbacks in this year’s free agent class will be re-signed or tagged in some way, but there will still be some players available that should make this year’s crop interesting. In fact, this might turn out to be the best free agent class of quarterbacks in a long, long time.
Let’s review real quick to get a brief sample.
2017
Dial back just three offseasons and you’ll run into both Mike Glennon and Jay Cutler as the best overall quarterback options on the market. Glennon would hit Chicago as Mitchell Trubisky‘s placeholder and Cutler would go 6-8 as a starter for the Miami Dolphins. Brian Hoyer is the next-best option here. Yep.
2018
In a rare display of an actual legitimate starter making it to the market, Kirk Cousins was allowed to hit free agency by the Washington Redskins and he vaulted to the top of every FA list. If that’s uninspiring to you, just know that Cousins is, by far, the best thing on the board. The rest of the class: Teddy Bridgewater, A.J. McCarron, Sam Bradford.
2019
Remember when Nick Foles was an exciting proposition at four years and $88 million? Once the Jags locked him up, Bridgewater and Tyrod Taylor were the best options left on the shelf.
2020
A look ahead to this quarterback class will make mouths water for some teams. Instead of being forced to move up for a guy they’re uncertain about in the draft, some teams might be able to sign a guy and create a window of opportunity for themselves in the present while waiting for the future to reveal itself without unnecessary pressure.
Tom Brady – For the first time in his NFL career, the GOAT will be a free agent. It seems ridiculous to think that Bill Belichick would ever coach another quarterback or that Brady would ever play for another head coach but with the dismantling of a dynasty and an offense in clear need of a complete reset, Brady might just be the ultimate example of Belichick’s willingness to move on from anyone for the sake of success. If so, Brady would be a free agent veteran with a stated intention to play until he’s 45 with a sudden chip on his shoulder.
Philip Rivers – The same sort of “would they really?” questions surface with Rivers like they do with Brady in terms of a franchise’s relationship with a future Hall of Fame player. That said, there’s much more smoke here than in New England that Rivers is really available. His move to Florida only adds fuel to rumors that SoCal is in the rearview mirror for Rivers in more ways than one.
Ryan Tannehill – Tannehill would have been quoted above as one of the middling performers tossed from team to team just six months ago, but the first-time Pro Bowler resurrected his career with the Tennessee Titans, who now have a difficult decision to make. Tannehill didn’t just ride Derrick Henry to a wild finish on the year in the AFC Championship game; he, himself, was responsible for much of the team’s revitalized offense and will earn himself a major contract from someone in March.
Drew Brees – The best bet here is a likely short-term agreement or the use of a franchise tag by the New Orleans Saints in order to keep their own future Hall of Famer in town for another, but he’s listed as an unrestricted free agent and Brees was just injured a few games, is getting older, and was bounced in the first round of the playoffs. Perhaps some drastic measures could be taken…
Dak Prescott – He’s an unrestricted free agent in label only as the Cowboys are never going to let him walk in free agency.
Teddy Bridgewater – This year, Bridgewater had a five-game audition to show what he can do and he made the most of it by winning every single game and threw nine touchdowns against only two interceptions.
Here’s what is even more amazing is that the tier beyond all of these guys is still very much present. If a team wanted to go back to a familiar well in hopes of striking it rich with a new coach or scheme, they absolutely could. Jameis Winston has been a very exciting player in stretches, and Marcus Mariota has flashed the look of a top draft pick between injuries over the years. Even Eli Manning is there if someone wants a clear retread who can at least help shape/mentor the future of the position.
Yes all of these guys are near the end of their respective careers and/or face serious questions about their ability to lead. But if those questions can get answered, there’s plenty left in the tanks of these signal callers to seriously help a franchise this coming season. It would be weird, at first, to get used to, say, Rivers and/or Brady in a new uniform, but the reality is that such a rare class is going to yield rare results.