Packers 2022 NFL Free Agency Preview: Quarterbacks
With NFL free agency officially starting on Wednesday (but the negotiating window opening on Monday), here is a look at the Green Bay Packers’ quarterback situation.
Packers Level of Need
None, so long as Jordan Love isn’t traded.
Packers Outlook
Aaron Rodgers is back, meaning Green Bay once again will enter the season on the short list of prime championship contenders. At SI Sportsbook, the Packers (+1,000) trail only the Rams (+900) to win the Super Bowl among NFC teams. At FanDuel Sportsbook, the Packers (+350) are the favorite to win the NFC, with the Rams (+430) and 49ers (+600) being next on the list.
Behind Rodgers and Love are incumbent No. 3 Kurt Benkert and former LSU standout Danny Etling.
Strength of Free Agent Talent Pool
3 on a 1-to-10 scale. It’s terrible if you need a starting quarterback. The Packers, of course, don’t need a starting quarterback. If the Packers were to trade Love, there are a few interesting options to replace him as the No. 2.
Best Available Quarterbacks in Free Agency
Teddy Bridgewater, Broncos (age 29): Bridgewater went 7-7 for Denver last season. He’s always completed passes (66.5 percent for his career and 66.9 percent in 2021). In 2021, he threw 18 touchdowns vs. seven interceptions, compiled a 94.9 passer rating, and fumbled only once. Teams aren’t going to win games because of Bridgewater, but they’re not going to lose games because of him, either.
Jameis Winston, Saints (28): With Drew Brees in retirement, Jameis Winston won the starting job. Including Week 1 vs. Green Bay, he went 5-2 in seven starts before tearing an ACL. His 14 touchdowns vs. three interceptions and 102.8 rating stood in stark contrast to 2019 in Tampa Bay, when he threw 33 touchdowns but a league-worst 30 interceptions for an 84.3 rating. Teams that want to stretch the field vertically will covet him more than others. The injury happened on Oct. 31, so he could be ready for the start of training camp.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Commanders (39): His Washington career lasted all of six attempts before a season-ending hip injury. In 2018 with Tampa Bay, he led the NFL in yards per attempt and yards per completion. He started 20 games for Miami in 2019 and 2020, throwing a combined 33 touchdowns vs. 21 interceptions. If you had to win one game with a quarterback on the list, this is your guy. Or he’d throw three picks and you’d lose by 21.
Marcus Mariota, Raiders (28): The No. 2 pick of the 2015 draft by the Titans, Mariota threw 30 passes for the Raiders the past two seasons. In 2018, when Packers coach Matt LaFleur was Tennessee’s offensive coordinator, Mariota started 13 games. He went 7-6, completed a career-high 68.9 percent of his passes, but threw only 11 touchdowns vs. eight interceptions. For his career, he’s averaged 6.0 yards per rush.
Mitchell Trubisky, Bills (27): One of the interesting things over the past couple weeks is how Trubisky is being pitched by national media as a potential starting quarterback. Given the holes around the league at the position, that’s possible, but nobody should expect better than what Trubisky provided in four seasons in Chicago. The No. 2 pick in 2017 – infamously ahead of Patrick Mahomes – he completed 64.0 percent of his passes with 64 touchdowns vs. 37 interceptions. He went 1-6 against Green Bay.
Tyrod Taylor, Texans (32): In 11 seasons, Taylor has won half of his 52 starts. He started six games for Houston last season, going 2-4 while completing 60.7 percent of his passes with five touchdowns vs. five interceptions and a rating of just 76.7. With scrambling ability (7.9 yards per rush last season) and a lot of experience, he can keep a team afloat if forced to start a game or three.
Tim Boyle, Lions (27): Rodgers’ former backup lost all three of his starts in his first season with Detroit. For those who watched him at practice and in the preseason, he was surprisingly bad with 175 yards per game, three touchdowns and six interceptions. But if Love were to be traded, Boyle knows the offense and he would be welcomed with open arms by Rodgers.
Jacoby Brissett, Dolphins (29): Brissett is 14-23 as a starter, including 7-8 for the Colts in 2017 and 2-3 for the Dolphins last season. In 2021, he completed 62.7 percent of his passes with five touchdowns, four interceptions and a woeful 5.7 yards per attempt. He can run a bit.
Andy Dalton, Bears (34): Did you know Dalton is a three-time Pro Bowler? Or that he led the Bengals to double-digits wins in four consecutive seasons? That seems like ancient history now. Signed by Chicago last offseason but quickly supplanted by first-round pick Justin Fields, the Bears went 3-3 in his starts. He threw eight touchdowns vs. nine interceptions.
Geno Smith, Seahawks (31): A second-round pick in 2013, Smith started 29 games his first two seasons but only five games the past seven years. With Russell Wilson out with an injured finger, Smith started three times last year. In total, he was pretty darned good. In four appearances, he posted a 68.4 percent completion rate, five touchdowns vs. one interception, and a 103.0 passer rating. In his last start, he completed 20-of-24 vs. Jacksonville.
Colt McCoy, Cardinals (35): It’s great to be a backup quarterback. Over the last decade, McCoy has made more than $20 million while starting 12 games. Last year in Arizona, he kept the Cardinals going when Kyler Murray was injured by winning two of his three starts. He played well, too, with a 74.7 percent completion rate and just one interception in 99 attempts.
Trevor Siemian, Saints (30): Siemian started 24 games for Denver in 2016 and 2017, once for the Jets in 2019 and four times for the Saints in 2021. He completed only 57.4 percent of his passes last season but posted an excellent 11 touchdowns vs. three interceptions. That stands in contrast to his 12 touchdowns vs. 14 picks in 2017. He’s smart and experienced but lacks mobility.
