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Four Likely Quarterback Moves

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Quarterback is the one of hardest positions in football and maybe in sports. Reading defenses, staying calm under pressure, and having to fit balls into tight windows is an incredulously hard job. Some guys fans had high expectations for are not performing up to expectations this season. I want to see what NFL teams will do with Zach Wilson, Derek Carr, Brock Purdy, and Baker Mayfield.

Zach Wilson

Zach Wilson is a bust, like one of the worst quarterback busts in recent memory. Even with the pretty decent weapons around him, he can’t do anything. In 9 games started, he has thrown 6 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions, and has only completed 54.5% of his passes. He is PFF’s WORST graded quarterback for good reason. He does not do one thing right on a football field and the Jets know it is time to move on. They are starting Mike White whenever they can, who was a fifth-round pick back in 2018. White has looked a lot better than Wilson whenever he plays, not great but still better.

After losing the trust of Robert Salah, who has not been great for New York, he is going to be on the move. I think it is safe to say he is not a Jet next year. There are a few teams that could take a shot at Wilson. He is going to go to the quarterback wasteland that exists in the NFL right now, which consists of a few teams.

Where will he go?

Those teams include the Panthers, Saints, Indianapolis, Atlanta, and Houston. One of these teams will probably take a flyer on him just because they have nothing to lose. The trade would also be for pennies on the dollar so that helps the cause. Another surprise team that I like? The Tampa Bay Buccanneers. It is no secret that Brady is most likely leaving the Bucs after the year. So it isn’t in their worst interest to sign him just to see if they can bring out any of the potential he has left. The Bucs are my favorite team to trade for Wilson just because of how good the roster is, so the situation would be the best for him to try to move forward in his career. But either way, he should be a backup next season at the very least. Maybe he isn’t even in the NFL, the XFL is starting up again.

Derek Carr

Derek Carr has been… bad. I love Carr and I made a video about him in the offseason saying he could win some awards. However, a lot of the players in Vegas have not played up to expectations or suffered injuries. The Box Score numbers do not look that bad at first glance, 24 touchdowns 14 picks 3500 yards. But he is tied for the lead in interceptions, 18th in DVOA, and 25th in PFF passing grade, and the Raiders are just 6-9, way under pre-season expectations. I think it is time for the Raiders to move on from Carr and try to find something younger at the quarterback position, like maybe Jordan Love.

The Raiders have to trade Derek because they are just going to have the same team, with a quarterback with no playoff experience at all, trying to run it back and it will not work. Maybe McDaniels is at fault here a bit but still, it is time for a new chapter in Vegas.

Where will he go?

Well, I think the Colts are gonna do what the Colts do and try to bring in another veteran quarterback coming off of a down year to be their franchise guy. I like the fit behind a decent offensive line and good weapons like Michael Pittman and Jonathon Taylor. That team could do something. Although we have said that for Phillip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan so we should know that they won’t. The trade would most likely involve a second-round pick or something like that.

I think Carr should want to move on as well, for the majority of his career the franchise has not done much to build around him. He has had some great receivers to throw to sure, but their defense has been awful since he got in the building, and having a good defense is just as important as getting a quarterback receivers. Let’s see if Indy gives Vegas a call this spring. 

Brock Purdy

From the last pick in the draft to 4-0 beating all playoff-hopeful teams. So far in his rookie season, he has 8 touchdowns 3 ints, 67 COMP%, and a 13.7% DVOA, which would be 6th if he had more attempts. This is a crazy story, the first Mr. Irrellevant to actually mean something besides Ryan Succop. Also, the first quarterback to beat Brady in his first career start. I don’t think we’ve seen anything like this. Sure, he is a game manager, but he was the last player picked in the draft and is performing as a rookie!

This brings up the question, what do the 49ers do next season with Trey Lance and Brock Purdy? Well, here’s what they should do, start the better quarterback. Whoever wins out in camp and preseason starts, I don’t care about draft capital spent on Lance, even though he was my favorite quarterback prospect in that draft, besides Trevor Lawrence of course.

Purdy has a real shot to win that job because he fits the 49er’s offense so well. San Francisco is averaging 31.5 points per game as an offense with him at the helm. Shanahan has to change the offense around with Lance at the helm. I did not like how he used Trey. He used him as a fullback basically which was a part of the reason he got hurt. But with Lance, McCaffrey, and Kittlethe run game would be the best in the league. It depends on what Shanahan wants to run on offense next year. This quarterback battle between Mr. Relevant and Trey Lance will be a very fun one to watch. 

Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield just won a game where his offense scored 51 points against a good defense. Cam Akers had 3 touchdowns and the defense caused a ton of turnovers but still, he played very well. He is 2-1 as a starter, including a 98-yard game-winning drive against LV and that dominant win that got Nathaniel Hackett fired. If the next 2 games go well, Baker may play himself into another starting gig. However there is one issue, he can’t really just go anywhere that needs a quarterback and start.

We have seen Baker look terrible this year and last, with Cleveland and Carolina, but that is because the coaches did not know how to use his strengths. Sean McVay does though. I think it is in Baker’s best interest to sign a 1-year deal as Stafford’s backup, who we have seen get injured before in the past so maybe he gets another opportunity in LA next year.

Where will he go?

One more year of development under McVay and Stafford would be beyond beneficial for a guy like Baker, who seems to have turned his act around. His teammates actually seem to like him now. This was not the case for parts of his career with the Browns. I understand if he signs somewhere else to start, but I do not think that is the best option for his career. Take the Jameis Winston route. We could also see him go to Indy, similar to Carr. It is a veteran quarterback recycling center. There are some other teams like the Saints as I have mentioned previously that could use him, but if Dennis Allen is still the coach it will just be a Carolina situation all over again. Hopefully, he stays with McVay.

 

 

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