QB carousel should speed up in free agency
Several teams will pursue Cousins
MINNEAPOLIS – With the NFL season wrapped up, attention will quickly turn to the offseason, most notably free agency and the draft.
It’s expected the coming months will feature great turnover at quarterback. As many as eight teams, or possibly more, could find themselves in the market for a new starting passer.
Fortunately for those organizations, the free agent market could boast a wide range of options. Here’s a look at the top quarterbacks who could become available and the teams that might pursue them once free agency kicks off in March.
Kirk Cousins: The Redskins finally decided to end this saga by trading for Alex Smith and striking a four-year contract extension with him. Cousins, who played on the franchise tag in each of the past two seasons, essentially is the top quarterback on the market. Besides posting three consecutive seasons with more than 4,000 yards, Cousins has ranked among the top 10 in the league in touchdowns and completion percentage. Despite his limited team success (24-23-1 as a starter and 0-1 in the postseason in three years) and struggles in late-game situations, Cousins will have plenty of suitors. The Jets badly want him, as do the Broncos. But he could also draw substantial interest from playoff teams, including potentially the Jaguars, Vikings and Bills. The Browns and Cardinals also rank among the QBneedy teams. However, Cousins wants to go to a team that gives him a chance to win consistently.
Drew Brees: The 39-year-old has plenty left, and the offense’s shift to focus on running backs Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara helped ease pressure on the passing game in 2017. Brees completed a career-high 72% of his passes for 4,334 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions. It’s hard to envision Brees winding up anywhere but New Orleans, mainly because he’s on the record saying he intends to re-sign. That stance could hurt his leverage, but the Saints still must provide a substantial offer. Because of a provision in his contract, the Saints can’t use the franchise tag on Brees, who played 2017 on a oneyear, $24.25 million extension. Could talks unravel and prompt an unexpected departure? Never say never, but all signs point to him remaining in the black and gold. Because of his age, it’s unclear whether a likely return would come via another one-year deal or a multiyear contract.
Jimmy Garoppolo: The 49ers swung a midseason trade with the Patriots for Garoppolo, and Tom Brady’s former backup wound up going 5-0 as a starter. The 49ers are optimistic they can get a deal done, though the team could wind up using the franchise tag to prevent him from hitting the open market.
Case Keenum: The Vikings face quite the decision with Keenum, Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater all set to hit free agency. Minnesota has to think long and hard about moving on from Keenum, who stepped in for injured Bradford and went 11-3 as a starter while passing for 3,547 yards, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions and leading the team to the NFC Championship Game. It makes sense to re-sign the durable and reliable veteran to build on 2017’s success. But with so many teams in need of a quarterback, Minnesota could draw competition for his services.
Sam Bradford: When healthy, Bradford is a very good quarterback. In 2016, he set the record for pass completion percentage (71.6). But he has been plagued by injuries throughout his career. He was 2-0 as a starter before a knee injury derailed his season. The Vikings brought him back for the playoffs, but only as a backup to Keenum. Now entering his eighth season, Bradford has two 16-game campaigns to his name. Whoever signs him needs a quality backup as insurance.
Teddy Bridgewater: The third Vikings quarterback flashed great promise in 2015 when he led Minnesota to an 11-5 record and a playoff appearance in his second year. But he suffered a devastating knee injury in August 2016 that sidelined him for more than a year. Bridgewater finally returned to action late this season but served as Keenum’s backup. Durability is an issue, but Bridgewater’s talent is undeniable, and he should have options this offseason.
Tyrod Taylor: Taylor posted an 8-6 record as a starter in 2017 and helped the Bills reach the playoffs. But he’s limited, managing 2,799 passing yards and 14 touchdown passes. In all likelihood, Buffalo will try to upgrade. Taylor obviously wants to go somewhere he can start, and he rejected the notion of taking a pay cut. But he might have to wait until the top quarterbacks are off the market before he finds his new home.
AJ McCarron: Andy Dalton’s backup is viewed as a talented young quarterback who has the potential to develop into a quality starter. The Browns tried to trade for him this season, but the deal was voided in a paperwork snafu. Somewhat like Garoppolo, McCarron is highly regarded despite a very limited résumé, with three starts. In 2015, he went 2-1 as a starter while completing 66.4% of his passes and throwing six touchdown passes and two interceptions. Colin Kaepernick: Will his exile finally end? Teams will deny collusion accusations, but it’s hard to write off him remaining unsigned in 2017 after he protested social injustices by kneeling during the national anthem the previous season. His game needs refining, but the talent is there. Kaepernick has a sterling résumé and even performed admirably amid San Francisco’s difficult seasons in 2015 and ’16. He also owns a 4-2 playoff record, which is better than every other quarterback on this list outside of Brees.