Nothing moves the needle in the NFL landscape quite like the quarterback position. If you have an elite signal-caller, you’re usually guaranteed a playoff bid, regardless of most other issues. If you don’t have one, you’re either working hard to elevate him, or working hard to replace him. With that in mind, what does the next NFL offseason have to offer at QB?
Here’s a complete early guide, with a look at the most QB-needy teams (and the resources they possess to acquire help), top free agents, trade targets and draft prospects, as well as projected/proposed landing spots for the biggest names:
QB-needy teams
Note: Projected cap space courtesy Over the Cap.
Why: Tom Brady, 45, is retired, and 2021 second-rounder Kyle Trask has yet to take an NFL snap.
Projected cap space: ($-57.5M)
Top draft pick: No. 19
Projected 2023 QB: Gardner Minshew
Why: Matt Ryan, 37, is likely done — perhaps with football entirely — after a turnover-riddled debut behind a battered line, leaving them in exactly the same position they’ve been for years: looking to wash their hands of a veteran past his prime.
Projected cap space: $11.9M
Top draft pick: No. 4
Projected 2023 QB: Will Levis
Why: Both Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke are virtual locks to depart after trading mercurial stretches as Washington’s starter. Like the Colts, they’ve gone from one castoff to the next, and rookie Sam Howell entered Week 18 with no experience.
Projected cap space: $15.7M
Top draft pick: No. 16
Projected 2023 QB: Andy Dalton
Why: Tua Tagovailoa took a big leap forward under Mike McDaniel, but his short- and long-term availability is in question after suffering multiple concussions. The only other QB under contract beyond 2022 is rookie Skylar Thompson.
Projected cap space: ($-16.7M)
Top draft pick: No. 51
Projected 2023 QB: Tua Tagovailoa (now that Brady retired)
Why: Marcus Mariota, their stopgap successor for Matt Ryan, literally left the team after landing on injured reserve, and has no clear path back to a starting job. Rookie Desmond Ridder, meanwhile, has just a handful of starts under his belt.
Projected cap space: $66.4M
Top draft pick: No. 8
Projected 2023 QB: Ryan Tannehill
Why: Former first-rounder Daniel Jones, while vastly improved under Brian Daboll, will be a free agent after New York previously declined to exercise his fifth-year option. The only other QB under contract is veteran…
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