The Contract Years – Quarterbacks (#FantasyFootball)

As a dynasty owner, one must think beyond the upcoming season and more into the future of their franchise.

One important area of focus for every dynasty owner should be which players are entering a “contract year”. The possibility of free agency not only impacts the player themselves but their former and future team’s depth chart and the players that currently make that up.

NFL Players who are entering a contract year have that extra incentive to showcase their ability to play in the NFL in hopes of earning that blockbuster contract and therefore should be strongly considered by dynasty owners when making final roster decisions during the offseason.

This four-part series begins with four Quarterbacks who are entering the final year of their contract and hoping to capitalize on a solid year of production or, in the case of the first candidate on the list, a trade to a playoff-contending team and hoping to prove he can get it done in the playoffs.

Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals):

Dalton holds the franchise record for passing TD’s (204) and has had a successful career in Cincinnati but the Bengals are looking to move in a different direction at the position after landing the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft which will likely result in them drafting the highly touted rookie Quarterback Joe Burrow who recently was compared to Tom Brady when it comes to his ability on the field.

Outlook for 2020:

Dalton and the Bengals have agreed to move on from each other and the team is working with his agents to negotiate a trade with another team. This 32-year-old quarterback still showed he can produce on the field and there is strong speculation that he could end up in the windy city of Chicago sporting a Bears helmet. This is not far-fetched at all as the Bears offense has struggled with Mitchell Trubisky under center.

Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers):

Cam suffered a shoulder injury in 2018 that limited his ability to throw the ball, only for him to injure his foot that resulted in his season being cut short after just two games. Prior to that Cam was considered a valuable fantasy asset as he produced respectable fantasy stats the previous 8 seasons including his rookie year when he threw for over 4,000 yards and 21 TD’s and other 700+ yards rushing the ball in 2011.

Outlook for 2020:

The Panthers have stated they plan on giving Cam another year to prove he can stay healthy and lead his team to a successful season as he did in 2016 when the Panthers played in Superbowl 50 but lost to the Denver Broncos 24-10.

Cam has a unique talent as an NFL Quarterback but must prove he can avoid those big hits and stay healthy in order for the team to give him another contract so this is a big year for Cam as he has all the incentive and motivation to have a big 2020 season.

Many owners have given up on Cam, leaving him as a potential affordable option in free agency.

Jacoby Brissett (Indianapolis Colts):

Jacoby is under contract through 2020 with a cap hit of over $21 million resulting in $12.5 million in dead money if the Colts choose to release him and move in a different direction as some have indicated. Brissett had a limited arsenal on offense last year due to injuries to key players such as star WR T.Y. Hilton, RB Marlon Mack and TE Eric Ebron but still completed over 60% of his passes for nearly 3,000 yards and 18 TD’s with just 6 INT’s and gaining another 200 plus yards and 4 TD’s on the ground while fighting through an injury (MCL) of his own.

Outlook for 2020:

Brissett will be lucky if he gets another year to prove he is the guy to lead the Colts offense but I do believe the Colts will give him a legitimate chance to do so.

Although some are speculating otherwise with rumors of the team being interested in veterans such as Philip Rivers and Tom Brady to help the team take the leap to get to the next level and bring home another Championship.

Players of that caliber will not come cheap and I don’t see the Colts shelling out a ton of money for a Quarterback that is staring at retirement in the next year or two making this a make or break year for the fifth year Quarterback.

Kirk Cousins (Minnesota Vikings):

Cousins led his team to the Divisional Round of the playoffs last year only to lose to the 49ers 27-10 after a poor performance by Cousins and the Vikings offense. While Kirk was able to keep his interception ratio at an all-time low in 2020, his passing yards were 600 yards less than in 2019.

Outlook for 2020:

The Vikings are facing a difficult situation this offseason regarding Cousins who is set to turn 32 in August as they fully guaranteed his contract meaning he is set to earn a cap crushing $31 million dollars when the team already has the least amount of cap space in the NFL heading into the 2020 offseason meaning that they will likely look to restructure his contract by giving him an extension. If not, they will ride it out this year and possibly draft a Quarterback in what looks to be a friendly year for teams looking to draft a future star to lead their offense.

In Summary:

With veteran prospects such as Marcus Mariota and Teddy Bridgewater likely hitting the market this year along with a promising 2020 rookie quarterback class, NFL teams will have some difficult decisions to make meaning dynasty fantasy football owners will need to pay close attention as well.  Oh yeah, don’t count out Tom Brady, Jameis Winston, Ryan Tannehill and Philip Rivers as free-agent options for teams as well which seems quite crazy but very real for 2020.

A couple of other Quarterbacks worth mentioning who are entering the final year of their contract are Tyrod Taylor (will he get the opportunity to prove he can replace Philip Rivers in LA?) and Ryan Fitzpatrick (does he give the Dolphins one more year of production or do they pursue a younger Quarterback to take the reins in 2020?).

There are questions such as these prior to the start of every NFL season and it’s never too early to start thinking about next year if you are an owner of a dynasty fantasy team so don’t fall asleep while others are still on the clock working to better the future of their dynasty team.

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