NFL Rumors: Predicting Where the Top Five Free Agent Quarterbacks Will Land
Johnny Covers discusses where the top five free agent quarterbacks will land this offseason.
Johnny Covers - March 3, 2022, 4:15 PM EST
5 minutesNFL Rumors: Predicting Where the Top Five Free Agent Quarterbacks Will Land
While Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers are grabbing many of the headlines as far as quarterbacks go this offseason, neither are truly free agents and the more time that passes, the more likely they will be where they are now.
With that in mind, let’s look at five free-agent quarterbacks who actually might be on the move.
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1. James Winston: New Orleans Saints
The 2015 number one overall pick is the top free-agent quarterback on the market, and it isn't particularly close. Coming off a season in which he tore his ACL, however, he isn’t a guaranteed start in Week 1 which might concern some teams.
Even still, this is the same guy who threw for 33 touchdowns two seasons ago and had a touchdown to interception ratio of 14:3 this season before being knocked out in Week 8. For me, the Saints resigning a guy already familiar with their system is a no-brainer.
2. Marcus Mariota: Houston Texans
For all intents and purposes, Mariota will very likely get one final shot at being a starting quarterback in the NFL at just 28 years old. In his second year in the league, Mariota threw for a touchdown to interception ratio of 26:9, going 8-7 in games he started.
Given his dual-threat nature and a scheme in Houston that is made for it, Mariota could be a plug and play fit for the Texans in desperate need of a new identity.
3. Andy Dalton: Washington Commanders
Despite the front, Dalton was never going to be the long-term man in Chicago with Justin Fields waiting in the wings. Now, the 33-year-old is in search of potentially one final stop and I think Washington could potentially be a fit.
With a career competition percentage of 62.2%, Dalton would offer another passer to buy time until they find young talent. With Ryan Fitzpatrick likely out, Taylor Heinecke vs. Dalton in camp sounds like a best-case scenario at this point.
4. Teddy Bridgewater: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
People forget that Bridgewater only two years ago signed a three-year $60+ million contract with the Panthers before being sent to Denver. With Case Keenum signing a two-year contract worth $36 million this offseason, however, Bridgewater is likely gone.
With a major void at quarterback but tons of talent around the position in Tampa, I think the Buccaneers could be a good fit as they really just need a game manager. Largely what Bridgewater has become.
5. Mitchell Trubisky: New York Giants
I think it’s becoming increasingly clear; Trubisky wasn’t the primary problem in Chicago. After a year spent backing up Josh Allen in Buffalo, Trubisky is likely to hit the free-agent market if another team comes calling with a starting position in play.
Enter the New York Giants.
During his time as offensive coordinator for the Bills, new New York Giants’ head coach Brian Daboll developed a relationship with Allen. With a new regime at the helm and the Daniel Jones experiment already on thin ice, don’t be surprised if Trubisky heads south to New Jersey.
