The QB Carousel: Some QBs could have a new home in 2021

The NFL offseason will be in full swing shortly which means the QB carousel will be put back in motion.  2020 saw the likes of Teddy Bridgewater and Phillip Rivers find new homes and starting gigs while others like Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston had to settle for backup jobs in new cities.  It’s seemingly a game of musical chairs each year with maybe more than a dozen spots susceptible to change.  Let’s take a look at some of the possibilities and make some guesses as to what may transpire.

Arizona Cardinals – Kyler Murray isn’t going anywhere.

Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan will be back for at least one more year.

Baltimore Ravens – Lamar Jackson…….  next.

Buffalo Bills – Josh Allen vaulted to second on my dynasty QB ranker with his sensational play this season.

Carolina Panthers – Teddy Bridgewater looks like he might be a one and done for the Panthers.  Carolina was looking for an upgrade over Cam Newton and actually may have gotten it, but the results clearly weren’t good enough.  In closing remarks to their 5-11 season, owner David Tepper was quoted as saying, “whatever that is to give you an edge, that’s what you need. And you need a good quarterback.”  Whoa, whoa, whoa!  That pretty much goes unsaid when management is pleased.  The Panthers are drafting eighth, so a rookie QB or a trade up to the top three could definitely be in play.  And maybe signing a veteran like Andy Dalton or Ryan Fitzpatrick bridges the gap for part of the season.

Chicago Bears – Mitchell Trubisky or Nick Foles or someone else?  While this situation might scream for change on the surface, Trubisky may just have well played his way into another year at the helm.  He led the Bears into the playoffs completing 73% of his passes with a 3-1 record to close out the final four games of the season.  I’m going to guess Foles returns to back him up as well in 2021.

Cincinnati Bengals – Joe Burrow should return from injury in time for week one and improve on an impressive rookie campaign.

Cleveland Browns – Baker Mayfield probably shouldn’t be starting for your fantasy team, but he’ll be back with the Browns for a shot at another playoff run.

Dallas Cowboys – Dak Prescott was only averaging 371 passing yards in the five games he played before going down.  The Cowboys will be thrilled to (queue the Kotter theme music) welcome Dak, welcome Dak, welcome Dak.

Denver Broncos – Drew Lock was criticized for shaky play down the stretch.  I believe he’ll be the week one starter in 2021, but wouldn’t be surprised to see a veteran signed for some much-needed insurance.  Might this is a good landing spot for Cam Newton?

Detroit Lions – Matthew Stafford has been hearing the winds of change whispers for quite some time now, unfortunately, Detroit may not be able to find a better option just yet.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see them part with a day two draft pick to acquire Sam Darnold from the Jets for a year of tutelage under Stafford.

Green Bay Packers – Aaron Rodgers gets at least one more year with the Pack before they turn the reigns over to Jordan Love.

Houston Texans – Deshaun Watson is not the GM of the Texans.  Nor is he the head scout, and too bad for him he’s not the owner either.  He’ll need to swallow that bitter pill this offseason because he’ll be under center in Houston as they rebuild the rest of the machine around him with what little draft capital is still in hand.  

Indianapolis Colts – Philip Rivers could be headed for the broadcast booth and with Frank Reich coaching this could be the perfect landing spot for the Carson Wentz reclamation project.  Does say a third-round pick get this done?

Jacksonville Jaguars – Trevor Lawrence should give Joe Burrow a call to get the firsthand preview of the coming months.

Kansas City Chiefs – Patrick Mahomes has more job security than anyone else I can think of on planet earth right now.

Las Vegas Raiders – Derek Carr showed a lot of growth this year and seems to have a huge fan in Coach Gruden, so don’t expect to see a change here.

Los Angeles Chargers – Justin Herbert has made the Chargers the premiere destination for coordinators looking to make the jump to head coach as LA looks to replace Anthony Lynn.

Los Angeles Rams – Jared Goff regressed a bit in 2020, but the Rams are in no position to move on.  He’ll still be there next season.

Miami Dolphins – Tua Tagovailoa didn’t play to the level of fellow rookies Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert, but he’s still deemed the future in South Florida.  Ryan Fitzpatrick is moving on, so maybe a guy like Alex Smith is signed to mentor Tua.  Using the third pick acquired from Houston on another QB seems unlikely.  The fish won’t find a prospect at the level of a Kyler Murray here, nor was Tags as bad as Josh Rosen was in his rookie season with Arizona.  Expect the Tua experiment to continue in 2021.

Minnesota Vikings – Kirk Cousins is the guy here, cringe and bear it.

New England Patriots – Cam Newton did not have a good year in New England and Jarrett Stidham seems like a long shot.  The Pats wouldn’t have signed Cam last offseason if they truly believed Stidham was capable of running the show.  This is a prime spot for a trade or another free agent signing regardless of whether or not they invest in a rookie.  Long shot possibilities could include Stafford, Rivers, Foles, Garoppolo, Dalton or Fitzpatrick to complete the AFC wheel here.  Nothing would surprise me, and this might be the hardest spot to predict.  I’d bet a lot though it won’t be Newton here again in 2021.

New Orleans Saints – Drew Brees is likely to retire, but could surprise and return one more year.  I’ve taken dynasty stock in Taysom Hill as the 2021 starter, and he’ll be on the Saints roster either way.  I’m guessing Jameis Winston won’t.

New York Giants – Daniel Jones franchise QB or bust.  That is yet to be determined.

New York Jets – Sam Darnold will likely be traded to clear the way for whoever the Jets determine is the second-best QB in the 2021 draft pool.

Philadelphia Eagles – Jalen Hurts provided a spark and finished the year as the starter.  Keeping Wentz around wouldn’t be the best formula for a cohesive locker room.  One of them will be moved.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Ben Roethlisberger has another year left in him and Mason Rudolph didn’t convince many he’s the heir to the throne (more based on his play in 2019).  Pittsburgh seems like a logical landing spot for either Jameis Winston or Dwayne Haskins to compete with Rudolph and back up Big Ben.

San Francisco 49ers – Jimmy Garoppolo has been riding a seesaw these past two seasons in San Fran, and Nick Mullens doesn’t appear to be the long term solution either.  If Winston needs to leave the Bayou to find a starting job, this could be his landing spot.

Seattle Seahawks – Russell Wilson, nuff said. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Tom Brady reportedly will be back for his age 57 season (check that, he’ll only be 44), and his numbers were off the charts as the season wound down.  Brady averaged 335 passing yards per game over the final five heading into the postseason (319 over the last seven, and 310 looking at the last ten).  He didn’t seem to miss a beat and his arsenal at WR is loaded.  Tampa would immediately become the top QB free-agent destination if Brady chooses to retire.

Tennessee Titans – Ryan Tannehill doesn’t post gaudy numbers but gets the job done.  He’s 18-8 as their starter in regular season play since taking over for Marcus Mariota.

Washington Football Team – Alex Smith was one of the league’s best stories in 2020, but Kyle Allen is the QB on the current roster most likely to have the job next season.  Don’t rule out an attempted upgrade in the game of musical chairs.  This defense is ready to take this team to the next level, maybe Teddy Bridgewater, Andy Dalton or Cam Newton could do the same for the offense.

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