Free Agency 2020: Legendary QBs Available
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Depending on the ratification of a new collective bargaining agreement, NFL free agency will begin on March 18 and the so-called legal-tampering period – when teams can officially begin negotiations with free agents – is March 16. With that, here is our preview of the top 10 free-agent quarterbacks. (Age at the start of the new league-year is in parentheses.)
FIRST, THE PACKERS’ OUTLOOK
This is the greatest free-agent class of quarterbacks of all-time. The Packers, of course, don't need a starting quarterback. They went through last season with Tim Boyle as their No. 2 quarterback. If general manager Brian Gutekunst, armed with ample cap space, decided to go with Boyle rather than a veteran last season, there's little reason to believe he'll add a veteran for this season. Nonetheless, Nos. 9 and 10 on the list are ideal backups.
OUR TOP 10
Dak Prescott, Dallas (26): Presumably, the Cowboys won’t let Prescott test the open market. Prescott was taken with the 135th pick of the 2016 draft – four selection after Green Bay landed linebacker Blake Martinez. Prescott has started all 64 career games. For his career, he’s got a 40-24 record and compiled a 97.0 passer rating. In 2019, he finished second in the league with 4,902 passing yards and fourth with 30 touchdowns. He ranked fifth in the league with 60.4 percent of his passing yards coming through the air, according to Sports Info Solutions, meaning the Cowboys leaned on his arm rather than his receivers’ legs.
“I’ve been impressed with him since the first time I saw him play live up in Green Bay [in 2016], when they came to Lambeau,” new Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said at the Scouting Combine. “First impressions, I think are very important when you see quarterbacks on the field because in-person evaluations, particularly at that position, have always carried more weight as far as how I felt about a player. … Defenses get you to the championship. The quarterbacks win championships. And I definitely think Dak is that quarterback.”
Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee (31): Tannehill had an unthinkable season, which has put him in position to earn unthinkable amounts of dollars. In six seasons with the Dolphins, Tannehill completed 62.8 percent of his passes and had an 87.0 passer rating. In 2019, he replaced Marcus Mariota and completed 70.3 percent of his passes for a league-best 117.5 passer rating. His rating was a whopping 24.0 points better than his previous best season. Making that completion percentage all the more impressive is his average pass traveled 9.2 yards, third-longest in the league behind Matthew Stafford (10.6) and Jameis Winston (10.0). In turn, Tannehill led the Titans into position for the Super Bowl.
Tom Brady, New England (42): “GOAT” is the most overused moniker in all of sports but Brady is, indeed, the greatest of all-time. In NFL history, he ranks second in completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns. Beyond the numbers, Brady is the ultimate winner. His six Super Bowl wins are unprecedented. Other than 2008, when he missed 15 games with a knee injury, he’s won at least 10 games in every season since 2003. It’s almost unthinkable to imagine Brady not paired with coach Bill Belichick. But wouldn’t it be the ultimate test of greatness to win somewhere else as a 43-year-old?
Drew Brees, New Orleans (41): Brees ranks No. 1 in NFL history in completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns. Age seemingly is just a number. In 2014, 2015 and 2016, he led the NFL in passing yards. In 2017, 2018 and 2019, he led the NFL in completion percentage. He’s on a five-year streak of 100-plus passer ratings, including a league-high 115.7 in 2018 and a career-high 116.3 in 2019. Amazingly, according to Pro Football Focus, he had a league-best 62.4 percent completion rate when under pressure; Aaron Rodgers’ overall completion rate was 62.0 percent. His arm isn’t strong – and hasn’t been for years – and who knows how he’d do without coach Sean Payton. Brees is the poster child for all aging quarterbacks on how to get better while the natural physical tools erode.
Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay (26): The top pick of the 2015 draft is headed to free agency after leading the NFL in two key figures. First, he led the NFL with 5,109 passing yards. Of that, 61.2 percent came through the air, the fourth-highest rate in the league. On the other hand, he threw a league-worst 30 interceptions. That made him the first player with 30-plus interceptions since Vinny Testaverde chucked 35 in 1988. He added 11 fumbles (five lost). Obviously, it’s hard to win consistently when the quarterback gives away the football on, on average, two of the team’s 12 possessions. And it’s hard to win when your quarterback is a hot mess under pressure – he had a rating of 44.5 when feeling the heat, according to Pro Football Focus. But, he’s young and his talent is undeniable.
“I don’t think he has problem seeing the guys. He has problems seeing the scoreboard sometimes,” coach Bruce Arians said at the Scouting Combine.
Marcus Mariota, Tennessee (26): Mariota was selected one pick after Winston in 2015. Assuming Tannehill returns, Mariota will be looking for a fresh start. In 2018, when Matt LaFleur was the Titans’ offensive coordinator, he completed 68.9 percent of his passes. In 2019, he cratered to 59.4 percent. The Titans started the season 2-4 and Mariota was benched. However, as was proven by none other than Tannehill, all it takes sometimes is a greener pasture. The skill-set that made him a top draft prospect hasn’t disappeared.
Teddy Bridgewater (27): Having emerged as a solid starter in Minnesota, a devastating injury nearly cost him his career. Having essentially missed all of the 2016 and 2017 seasons, Bridgewater emerged last year with the Saints. With Brees out with an injured thumb, Bridgewater kept the Saints afloat. Actually, he did more than that. New Orleans went 5-0 in his starts. His passer rating of 99.1 and completion rate of 67.9 percent represented career highs. Of his passing yards, 44.1 percent came through the air – fewest among all quarterbacks with 200-plus dropbacks. His average pass length of 5.8 yards was the shortest in the league.
Philip Rivers, L.A. Chargers (38): Rivers is one of the all-time greats. He’s closing in on 60,000 passing yards (59,271) and 400 passing touchdowns (397). Last season, the numbers looked nice with a 66.0 percent completion rate and 4,615 yards, but he threw 23 touchdowns vs. 20 interceptions and the Chargers went from 11 wins to five. His arm might be shot. Of 30 quarterbacks to throw at least 30 passes 20-plus yards downfield, Rivers threw five touchdowns vs. nine interceptions and ranked 27th in passer rating.
Case Keenum, Washington (32): Maybe Keenum’s 2017 season with Minnesota, when he completed 67.6 percent of his passes and got the Vikings within striking range of a Super Bowl, was lightning in a bottle. After going 11-3 for the Vikings that season, he went 6-10 for Denver in 2018 and 1-7 for Washington in 2019. While the Redskins were miserable last year, he had a 108.0 rating on deep passes and a 64.8 percent completion rate overall. As backups go, at least Keenum can give a team a fighting chance to win.
Matt Moore (35): Out of the league in 2018, Moore went 1-1 in place of Patrick Mahomes in 2019. He almost went 2-0 with a strong performance against Green Bay. He completed 64.8 percent of his passes with a 100.9 passer rating. According to Sports Info Solutions, his on-target pass rate of 73.6 percent ranked fifth. According to PFF, his 55.0 percent completion rate when under pressure was fourth-best in the league. He has exactly 0 rushing yards from 2012 through 2019. He’ll turn 36 in training camp.
