Round and round here we go, where it stops, nobody knows! The NFL QB Carousel is in full swing as free agency starts next week.
Teams need a good quarterback to compete for a Super Bowl. Correction, teams need the right quarterback to compete for a Super Bowl. For those saying “No shit, Sherlock,” you’d be surprised with how many teams don’t understand this concept!
It’s not hyperbole to say this has been a wild few months at the quarterback position. It almost resembless an NBA offseason with all of the trades. Matt Stafford is now a Ram, Jared Goff is a Lion, and Carson Wentz is a Colt.
Between free agency and the draft, more teams are going to address the quarterback position. Here are my QB projections for every team.
Teams Absent From The QB Carousel
- Kansas City Chiefs – Patrick Mahomes
- Tampa Bay Bucs – Tom Brady
- Buffalo Bills – Josh Allen
- Green Bay Packers – Aaron Rodgers
- Los Angeles Chargers – Justin Herbert
- Cincinnati Bengals – Joe Burrow
- Cleveland Browns – Baker Mayfield
- Baltimore Ravens – Lamar Jackson
- Tennessee Titans – Ryan Tannehill
- Arizona Cardinals – Kyler Muray
- Minnesota Vikings – Kirk Cousins
- Jacksonville Jaguars – Trevor Lawrence*
*I’m putting the Jags on this list because there is a 99.9% chance they take Trevor Lawrence.
Teams Who Should Be On The QB Carousel, But Won’t Make A Change This Year
- Pittsburgh Steelers – Benjamin Roethlisberger
- New York Giants – Daniel Jones
- Las Vegas Raiders – Derek Carr
Team On The QB Carousel Who Signed/Resigned/Traded For A QB (As of 3/12)
- Los Angeles Rams – Matthew Stafford
- Detroit Lions – Jared Goff
- New England Patriots – Cam Newton
- Indianapolis Colts – Carson Wentz
- Dallas Cowboys – Dak Prescott
That leaves us with 12 teams who must decide on QB for the upcoming season. Some of these teams will take care of their needs in the draft. Others will try to make a blockbuster trade in hopes of changing their franchise. The biggest wildcard is Deshaun Watson and the Texans. There is no chance he’s the starting QB for the Texans on opening day. If that’s the case, where will he end up?
Teams On The QB Carousel
Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan
Matt Ryan is still good enough to start in the NFL. He’s your classic fantasy QB who gets you 300 yards, 3 TDs, and 2 INTs. The Falcons are in salary hell because Ryan and Jones combine for over $63m of their cap. Will they try to move Ryan? I doubt it. As I said, he’s still capable of leading a team to the playoffs. However, they may draft Ryan’s successor with the fourth pick in the draft.
New Orleans Saints – Jameis Winston / Taysom Hill
My wish was finally granted. Jameis Winston upgraded his eyesight!
This all comes down to Drew Brees. After losing to the Bucs, it appeared as if Brees played his last game for the Saints. However, Brees is now working out like a guy who wants to play again. There’s a difference between doing some mobility stretches in the morning and pushing sleds up the street. Does he want to make a comeback? My gut tells me Brees retires, which means the Saints should sign Jameis and keep Taysom Hill as the backup.
Chicago Bears – Alex Smith
The Bears are screwed if they don’t acquire Watson, Russell Wilson, or one of the top QBs out of college. Seriously, what can they do if all else fails? I love Mitch Trubisky (the person) and I actually believe he’s a competent QB. However, he’s not a franchise-changing player. Nick Foles is an expensive backup QB, not a starter. If they can’t trade for Wilson or Watson, I would sign Alex Smith and Trubisky to one-year deals. Then, fire Ryan Pace and (possibly) Matt Nagy and draft a QB next year.
Washington Football Team – Ryan Fitzpatrick
Once again, we’ll see if the WFT can draft a top QB or trade for Watson. However, Riverboat Ron Rivera and Ryan Fitzpatrick were made for each other. Fitzy would love to sling it to Terry McLaurin and Logan Thomas. This seems like a perfect fit.
Philadelphia Eagles – Jalen Hurts
History tends to repeat itself. Will the Eagles draft another quarterback to compete with their starter? It didn’t work well for Wentz, let me tell ya that! The Eagles need to rebuild. Draft weapons, take care of the offensive line, and see if Jalen Hurts is “the guy.”
Seattle Seahawks – Russell Wilson
Hahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Imagine having a top-five QB and trading him away because you couldn’t take care of him? Couldn’t be my team! In all seriousness, the Hawks should jump in the Pacific Ocean and never come back if they trade Russell Wilson.
San Franciso 49ers – Sam Darnold
I’ve never wavered from this prediction. If the Jets trade Sam Darnold, it will be to the San Francisco 49ers. Sorry Jimmy G, but your health is an issue. If you can’t stay on the field, then you can’t be a franchise QB. Those are the rules. Kyle Shanahan is going to unlock Darnold and remind us all why we loved the SoCal QB out of USC.
Carolina Panthers – Teddy Bridgewater/Trey Lance
It’s no surprise that the Panthers want to make a splash with a new owner who is not afraid to spend money. Teddy B is a serviceable QB, but the Panthers will be looking to upgrade. If they don’t get Watson, the draft is where they’ll make their mark and take a guy like Trey Lance.
New York Jets – Zach Wilson
The Mormon Manziel is coming to New York City if and only if Watson gets traded elsewhere. Zach Wilson’s stock is soaring as he continues to garner comparisons to Aaron Rodgers. Pair him with some WRs and another tackle and the Jets will be much improved in 2021.
Miami Dolphins – Deshaun Watson
Miami, this is the move to make. You have the ammo to make the move with the first-round picks. You have the QB to send back to Houston in Tua Tagovailoa. With Flores as the foreseeable coach in the future, Watson would be happy as a member of the Dolphins organization for the next decade.
Houston Texans – Tua Tagovailoa
See above. This is not personal, Tua. It’s just business. I like Tua, but Watson is the superior talent right now.
Denver Broncos – Drew Lock/Justin Fields
Drew Locks has shown flashes of potential, but he’s not the guy. It’s time to go back to the drawing board. Denver will most likely trade up in the draft to take a QB like Justin Fields. Let Fields compete with Lock and hopefully (for John Elway’s sake), Fields comes out on top.
What should your team do at QB? Let me know in the comments below or tweet us, @unafraidshow.