The best landing spots for 6 available NFL QBs

Soon enough, some will be free agents and others will be traded.

The NFL Combine starts this week, kicking off the official start to draft season. As we watch prospects participate in drills and try to raise their draft stock, there are more exciting developments happening behind the scenes. 

That’s where general managers and agents will hammer out contracts (with their own free agents, anyway) and talk potential trade details. The quarterback discussions should be especially lively. By my count, six teams that don’t have a top-five draft pick need a starting quarterback: the Vikings, Bucs, Steelers, Raiders, Broncos, and Falcons. Plenty of others — like the Patriots, who do have a top-five draft pick — also need backup help.  

Before the combine begins and my brain goes into draft mode, I wanted to take a closer look at the QB market, the different kinds of players who are available, and where I’d like to see them end up. Below, I narrowed it down to two quarterbacks per category, both to keep this newsletter from becoming too lengthy and to give attention to the bigger names.

The starters who are free agents

Most of the quarterbacks who will hit free agency next month are career backups or starters-turned-backups. Though a few of them have produced some quality starts over the last couple of years — Ryan Tannehill, Gardner Minshew, Jacoby Brissett, Tyrod Taylor — I’m going to focus on the two who should be in the Week 1 lineup this upcoming season. 

Kirk Cousins

For the first 11.5 seasons of Kirk Cousins’ career, he had been remarkably durable. He had never missed a start due to injury, at least until the middle of this past season. In Week 8, Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary inadvertently stepped on Cousins in the fourth quarter, and suddenly the QB’s season was over with a torn Achilles. 

The Vikings went on to win that game, evening their record to 4-4 after a slow start to the season. Well, it was a slow start for the team overall but not for Cousins, who had been putting up big numbers. Right when his season ended, Cousins was tied for first in the NFL in touchdown passes and was second in passing yards. The week before, he even delivered a rare primetime win — against the 49ers, no less — in one of his best performances as a member of the Vikings.

But Cousins will also turn 36 before the 2024 season begins and is coming off a major injury. There’s no guarantee that he’ll be able to pick up where he left off, whether he joins a new team or returns to Minnesota. 

My suggestion: He re-signs with the Vikings.

Cousins hasn’t hidden the fact that he wants to be back with the Vikings. As he said, “structure” is important to him at this point in his career, and he’s both familiar with this organization and has excelled in Kevin O’Connell’s offense. 

The Vikings don’t have a lot of options at quarterback, either. They could continue to try to develop Jaren Hall, though his rookie year wasn’t very promising. They could also draft a quarterback with their No. 11 pick, but with several QB-needy teams ahead of them in the pecking order, they might not be able to land anyone who can start right away. Either decision wouldn’t solve their immediate need: a quarterback who is ready to go in Week 1 and can help Minnesota keep pace in a strong NFC North.

Cousins is the top free agent quarterback on the market, and if he plays like he did last year, then the Vikings can compete. And if he doesn’t, then it might be time for Minnesota to enter a rebuilding phase.

Baker Mayfield

Damar Hamlin was expected to be named the 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year and probably should have been since he almost died on the field. Instead, the AP gave the honor to Joe Flacco for coming off the couch and leading the Browns to the playoffs. There’s no real definition as to what constitutes a “comeback,” so I understand if you think the award should be performance-based.  But if we only considered how someone played that season, then Baker Mayfield had as much of a case for the award as Flacco — and maybe more so. 

Before the season began, the Buccaneers were supposed to be one of the worst teams in the NFL as they moved on from the Tom Brady era. They signed Mayfield, seemingly as a stop-gap solution, to a one-year deal. Even though he was on his fourth team in just over a calendar year, the former No. 1 pick looked at home in Tampa. He bounced back from a couple of up-and-down seasons and recorded career highs in passing yards (4,044), TD passes (28), and completion percentage (64.3), along with his second-best numbers, after his 2020 season, in passer rating (94.6), adjusted yards per pass attempt (7.3), and interception rate (1.8).

In the process, Mayfield led the Bucs to their third straight NFC South championship and fourth straight playoff appearance. (And unlike Flacco, Mayfield helped his team win in the Wild Card Round.)

My suggestion: He re-signs with the Bucs.

Like with the Vikings and Cousins, I think that Mayfield re-upping with Tampa would be the most ideal scenario for all involved. While Mayfield is seven years younger than Cousins, he could use stability in his career after going through eight head coaches in his first six seasons. He’ll have a new offensive coordinator no matter what; he thrived under Dave Canales, who is now the head coach of the Panthers, but he worked well with new Bucs OC Liam Coen when both were with the Rams. He’s also established nice chemistry with WR1 Mike Evans, assuming he also re-signs with Tampa (which appears likely). 

The Buccaneers will work on getting a deal done with Mayfield during combine week, and if those talks hit a snag, they’ll have to figure out a less enticing Plan B. As mentioned, the free agent market isn’t flush with starting quarterbacks, and the only other QBs on the roster — Kyle Trask and John Wolford — don’t fit that criteria either. Whatever quarterback they might be able to select with the No. 26 pick would likely need time to develop, too. 

This past season, the Bucs proved that they can be a winner with a competent quarterback. Mayfield proved he can be a winner with a team that believes in him. There’s a risk that neither the Bucs nor Mayfield will be able to replicate their 2023 success if the other teams in the division improve, but this pairing  makes the most sense for everyone. 

The benched starters who will probably be released

Of the three veterans who were benched for non-injury related reasons this past year, two of them remain under contract with their team — for now. Both are expected to be released before the start of the new league year, however. (The third, Ryan Tannehill, is already scheduled to be a free agent.) 

Russell Wilson

Although Russell Wilson’s first two seasons in Denver were a disappointment, he recently said he’d like to finish out his career with the Broncos. Then again, he also hopes to win two more Super Bowls, and [in my best Mick Jagger voice, which is not a very good impression] you can’t always get what you want.  

Considering how Sean Payton operates and the shadiness the Broncos pulled with Wilson’s contract, I have a hard time believing that Wilson will be back in Denver next season. He will look to join a franchise where he will be the starter and try to show that he still has what it takes to be QB1. Despite the decline in his play in recent seasons, whoever signs him won’t necessarily be taking a huge financial gamble. Due to the money that the Broncos owe him, Wilson can give his new team a major discount on his contract — possibly even at the league minimum. 

My suggestion: He signs with the Steelers. 

The Steelers may be the favorite for Wilson anyway, if you trust Ochocinco’s sources. Even if you don’t, Pittsburgh is a logical landing spot for Wilson. The Steelers have been incredibly consistent under Mike Tomlin and are already built to win games. But they need better play from the quarterback to make it past the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. 

In 2023, Wilson was certainly better than Kenny Pickett, the only quarterback the Steelers have under contract for 2024 — Mitchell Trubisky was released two weeks ago, and Mason Rudolph is set to be a free agent. 

I understand if Pittsburgh isn’t ready to give up on Pickett, who was a first-round pick just two years ago. But Tomlin’s team should also not go into 2024 with Pickett penciled in as the starter. In his two seasons so far, he’s thrown 13 touchdowns to 13 interceptions and finished 2023 with the fifth-worst QBR among starters. Wilson would be a good veteran for him to learn from, and in turn, the Steelers could provide Wilson with the chance to rebound in a play-action offense that fits his skills.

Jimmy Garoppolo

The writing was on the wall for Jimmy Garoppolo even before he was issued a two-game suspension for the upcoming season: His brief time in Vegas is over. It’s not official yet, but it will be at some point in the next few weeks. That outcome was inevitable back in November, when the Raiders fired Josh McDaniels. Then, interim (and now full-time) coach Antonio Pierce benched the shaky Garoppolo for rookie fourth-rounder Aidan O’Connell. At the time, Garoppolo led the NFL in interceptions (9), even though he had already missed two starts due to injury.  

Unlike Wilson, Garoppolo will probably sign with a team looking for an experienced backup. He will not be expected to play unless the starter goes down, and as long as he stays healthy (which has been an issue for him), then Jimmy G is capable of doing that. 

My suggestion: He returns to the Patriots. 

The Patriots will likely draft a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick, and they will also need a solid veteran who can mentor him. Garoppolo has a reputation as a great locker room guy; he had a good relationship with Trey Lance after the 49ers drafted him as Garoppolo’s potential replacement despite it being an “awkward” situation.

If he heads back to New England, Garoppolo would know what his role is and, I think, would embrace the opportunity to help out a rookie, like he did for O’Connell and like Tom Brady did for Garoppolo a decade ago. New Patriots coach Jerod Mayo knows firsthand what kind of teammate Garoppolo is because, well, they were teammates during Mayo’s final two seasons as a player. He’d also be an upgrade over Mac Jones in that department and bring a more positive attitude into what was a dysfunctional Patriots QB room the last couple of seasons.

The young starters who are on the trade block

In the politest possible terms, the 2021 quarterback draft class has been inconsistent. No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence has been the steadiest of the bunch even after kind of a down year, while Trey Lance has already been traded and Zach Wilson could be headed in that direction too. All hope isn’t lost for the other two 2021 first-round passers, especially with a change of scenery.

Justin Fields

If the Bears didn’t own the No. 1 pick this year, I doubt they would be fielding calls for, uh, Justin Fields. He’s been good enough to be in a starting lineup in Week 1, yet not good enough for Chicago to pass on the chance to draft Caleb Williams. Remember, this time the Bears didn’t wind up with the No. 1 pick due to their own ineptitude but due to the Panthers’ suckiness. 

So Williams (presumably) will head to Chicago in a more favorable spot than Fields did a few years ago: with a roster that’s not in the middle of a rebuild. And the Bears will get to reset the QB contract clock with a rookie rather than someone who has a fifth-year option looming.

Fields is an attractive possibility for a few franchises that need an upgrade at quarterback but don’t have a top-five draft pick this year. He’s young (he’ll turn 25 in March), has progressed as a passer in each season, and is an athletic marvel who can create magic whenever the ball is in his hands. Though there are questions about his decision-making and durability, he still has the potential to be a star in the right offense. 

My suggestion: The Falcons trade a Day 2 and a Day 3 pick for Fields. 

I don’t know that I would recommend this move if Arthur Smith were still the head coach in Atlanta, if only because he repeatedly misused his offensive playmakers. Now that Raheem Morris, a coach who is beloved by his players, is back in Atlanta, I feel better about the prospect of Fields returning to his home state. If that happens, his offensive coordinator would be Zac Robinson, a former quarterback himself who has spent most of his coaching career working with the position. 

Fields is an improvement over the mistake-prone Desmond Ridder/Taylor Heinicke duo that the Falcons had under center in 2023. He also has a higher ceiling than either, particularly if he’s in an offense where he doesn’t have to do all the heavy lifting and can trust his supporting cast. On that note, Atlanta’s offensive line is stout and its offense is loaded with more weapons than Fields ever had in Chicago, including dynamic youngsters such as Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts. Fields even admitted to being intrigued by the idea. 

This version of the Falcons — an electric offense led by Fields paired with a tough defense — could be favorites to win the NFC South title. Alas, I’m not sure that the front office will take my advice. Recent rumors have them looking elsewhere.

Mac Jones 

It’s easy to forget now that Mac Jones had the top rookie season of any of the quarterbacks in his draft class. Unfortunately for him, it’s been downhill since then. He had flashes of being that same quarterback now and again in 2023, but they were overshadowed by his costly mistakes, such as three pick-sixes and getting relegated to emergency QB duty. 

Couple that with reports of bad vibes in the locker room, and it seems like it’s best for both parties if Jones is traded this offseason, even without Bill Belichick around. After all, Mayo had a front-row seat to Jones’ deteriorating relationship with the rest of the locker room. 

Wherever Jones ends up, he’ll probably have to start out as a backup, but he’ll have a chance to resurrect his career, both on the field and off.

My suggestion: The Patriots deal Jones to the Rams for a Day 3 pick.

In 2022, Mayfield was only with the Rams for five games, but he restored his value in that short time and turned it into a starting gig elsewhere. A year later, Carson Wentz played surprisingly decent in his one start in LA. 

Jones could follow in both of their footsteps. He’d have to sit behind Matthew Stafford (unless Stafford gets injured), which could help Jones overcome the mental mistakes that plagued him the past two seasons. Not to mention, he’d be learning from Sean McVay, a much more chill coach than Belichick who also happens to be brilliant. 

The Rams still don’t have a succession plan in case the 36-year-old Stafford hangs it up soon. They drafted Stetson Bennett in the fourth round last year, but he was placed on the reserve/non-football illness list in September for personal reasons and might not ever play for the Rams. Wentz will be a free agent. That leaves LA with Stafford and, uh, Dresser Winn, I guess.

At the very least, the Rams need a backup quarterback. Jones can be that much, and if he regains his confidence, maybe he can be their future as well. And if the Rams want to go in a similar direction with a more athletic quarterback, they could always target Zach Wilson instead.