Co-Authored by Zach Eckert and Jack Bradley
This is a highlight of some of the QBs that we think could be moved as well as potential fits. While brief insight is provided, for most, into the reasoning for these players being moved, a more in depth explanation into the player’s trade value and potential trade partners will be provided during our trade predictions podcast episode.
Aaron Rodgers/Jordan Love
With every passing day, it feels as though we are closer to either Aaron Rodgers or Jordan Love being moved. The Packers have a dilemma here and there are multiple factors. Rodgers’s acceptance speech for his MVP almost sounded like a goodbye to the sport. Perhaps retiring is more on his mind than people think. Another factor is that the Packers see Love all the time and know whether it would be good to move on from Rodgers. And for those that say how bad Love was in his first couple games, Rodgers had similar numbers to Love in his first couple starts so that is most likely not a factor. One direction is committing to Rodgers, signing him to an extension that pushes money down the line, and somehow find a way to bring Adams back (who wants a lot of money, reports say) and add more weapons as well. There is a major issue with this, and that is the Packers already have the second worst cap situation in the league without re-signing Adams and others. Personally, I do not see how this will workout in the Packers favor as they would be mortgaging the future for Rodgers, who has not shown the ability to win when the moment is brightest again and again. Look at the Saints situation currently. Even with Brees retired, they are over 70 million in the negative as the worst cap situation in the league. This is where the Packers would be heading.
Now, even as a Jordan Love fan, there are definitely risks involved if you choose him over Rodgers. If Love does not produce as you would expect for different reasons (weapons being one of them), the jobs of LeFleur and others will definitely be in jeopardy. It is certainly a risk, but if he does end up being something special or at least good, that would be five plus years of quarterback stability. Again, this is LeFleur’s hand picked guy so that cannot be ignored. Going with Love and weathering a down year or two would also help avoid an even worse cap situation that they already have. If they do end up in one close to the Saints, LeFleur could be fired or leave anyways.
While they could go either way, the latest reports are that Love is expected to be traded this week or at least in the near future. This is not the way I would go, but Rodgers guarantees regular season success at the worst, so it is definitely the safer pick. I also imagine, due to the weakness of this draft, Love’s value as a trade candidate may never be higher. Lastly, Love is one of the few quarterbacks on this list still young that could be a ten plus year option for your team if he develops.
Potential Trade Locations: Rodgers-Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals / Love- Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos
Jimmy Garoppolo
Jimmy G had another up and down year as a member of the 49ers. Yet, he was able to stave off Trey Lance for the whole season and played decently well, albeit not incredible, in the playoffs. The team seems dedicated to finding Garoppolo the right fit for him. He most likely goes to a team that feels as though they are a decent quarterback away. In these situations, he would have arguably better supporting casts than he ever has (not that San Francisco has bad weapons, but still) and not be required to do much beyond quick throws and the occasional deep ball. He would also work well in these situations to mentor someone if they decide to draft in the next couple seasons and he seemed to mentor Lance very well this season.
Potential Trade Locations: Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos
Carson Wentz
What can be said about Wentz. He fulfilled the requirements to get Philly that conditional first, played decently well, and still is getting dragged through the mud by his current team. Now this is in no way a Wentz support group. But, the man was not bad. I know there is a huge argument about his play down the stretch, and that is valid. However, there were no weapons for Wentz to throw to on that offense. One might say well he has Pittman, and that is true, but those hands led to one of Wentz’s week 17 interceptions. Pittman is a decent WR, but he is not elite. Besides him, it’s old man Hilton and a bunch of meh pieces (this is specifically wide receivers and tight ends, not running backs). So even if you trade Wentz, whoever you bring in will have a lower tier group of pass catching options to throw to. It just does not make sense, not having a first, to be throwing Wentz under the bus and already trying to move on from him after you gave up a first for him (stupidly) in the first place. Assuming he is traded, he will most likely go to a small market team that is not expected to be playoff bound right away, or to a team with coaches that feel as though they could get more out of Wentz than Indy or anyone else has. Not saying this is possible, but it could be what coaches are thinking if they do trade for Wentz.
Potential Trade Locations: Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Gardner Minshew
Gardner Minshew has had such an interesting career so far. He went from surprising and being pretty good in Jacksonville, to being replaced by the prophesied one, Trevor Lawrence. Then, he gets traded for peanuts to the Eagles and immediately becomes one of the best backups in football. Despite pushing and pleading for a starting opportunity, according to reports, he does not get one. For the record, we feel as though the Eagles offense looked to be at its best with Minshew as the starter, especially Miles Sanders. He may not have the running ability of Hurts, but he is clearly a better thrower. Regardless, it does not seem as though the Eagles view him as their starter. I feel as though this is a mistake, but if this is the truth then we feel as though he should be traded. He fits most in a team looking for stability at the quarterback position (at the sacrifice of overall upside maybe). He can step in right away and operate most types of offenses decently at the worst.
Potential Trade Locations: Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers
Drew Lock
Drew Lock is in a weird spot. Time and time again he has shown flashes followed up by head scratching decisions. He was stuck with Vic Fangio as his head coach, who could not seem to make up his mind on who he wanted starting. Furthermore, there was never a true veteran or offensive mastermind on the team to develop Lock. With a new head coach in town, it is up to them to decide whether Lock is worth trying to develop or not. If they want to reset the quarterback room completely, then Lock probably has some value on the trade market. He most likely ends up as the backup to a successful veteran, or somewhere that feels as though they have the coaches in place to unlock Lock’s potential.
Potential Trade Locations: Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Russell Wilson
This may finally be the year that the Seahawks hit the reset button. They have been mediocre for a couple years, fighting off the reset, and wasting Wilson’s prime. However, the reports are strong that he could be moved this off season. We do not feel as though it is as likely as some others, but definitely cannot be called impossible. The issue is what the trade package would include. It probably starts with two firsts, which may seem too steep, and eliminates a lot of teams from contention. The teams trading for him also probably have to feel that a quarterback upgrade makes a big enough difference that it is worth trading multiple high end picks for a 33 year old quarterback. Wilson is probably worth it for a needy team, but said teams may overpay and Wilson’s recent injuries could be a trend, causing there to be some risk. There is also no guarantee the Seahawks face reality and their current situation and they could try to run it back one more time for another seven win season.
Potential Trade Locations: Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders
Kyler Murray
Not a name many would have thought to have on trade watch as recently as a month ago, Kyler Murray’s Instagram antics and reports that the Cardinals are unhappy with him have resulted in speculation that he could be moved. In the case that the rumors are true, the Cardinals should be able to get a haul for Kyler. It would be bold, but this is also the team that drafted quarterbacks in the first round in back to back years. If the reasoning is to upgrade because they do not feel as though Kyler can bring them to where they want to be, then they may be looking more at a three team trade of some sort. If it is because of issues with Kyler or his maturity, then they may be just looking to trade him for the best offer they can get. In turn a team looking for stability and a long term option at quarterback, that also could use his skill immediately. Kyler may cost a lot of picks though, so teams will need to be sure he is worth it.
Potential Trade Locations: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders
Kirk Cousins
Famous for his line “YOU LIKE THAT?!” after a win while still in Washington, Kirk Cousins has become a league-wide meme. Captain Kirk, as some would call him, is the prime example that you don’t have to be good to be called captain. I get that a lot of people don’t watch the pro bowl anymore, but at the very least you have to watch the Skills Showdown the night before. It’s all fun and games, but also more competitive than the Pro Bowl itself. It’s also a great time to watch your average everyday guy…. I mean Kirk Cousins… compete in an accuracy competition that Nathan Peterman would’ve beat him in. Are you throwing at targets? Yes, but Peterman would still find a way to get picked off, but hey at least a player would be able to catch a pass by Peterman. Cousins couldn’t even hit Jefferson while throwing to him in the best catch competition. Poor Jefferson can’t get a break, first Zimmer doesn’t care about his record he could’ve broken, and then Cousins can’t hit him while standing still with no shoulder pads or pressure. All jokes aside though, Kirk Cousins is a fairly average QB. He’s probably good enough to keep a decent team in playoff contention but whether he’ll actually get you in is to be seen. Even if he does, don’t expect anything more than a first round bounce out. He will not bring your team to the promise land, unless he buys everyone tickets, which he should be able to do with all the money he’s stolen in his career. I would honestly trust Captain Hook or Captain Crunch more than Captain Kirk. Let’s be real though Cousins would’ve never been able to show the league just how average he is if it wasn’t for RG3’s horrifying knee injury. Cousins also carries a MASSIVE cap hit for any team in the QB market, this could scare some teams away from Cousins over other options this offseason, but Cousins probably isn’t a bad option for a team with no QB or looking to draft and develop. Is Kirk Cousins the guy you want working with your young QB probably not but Cousins does have some leadership skills and experience in the league that could be vital to a young QB.
Potential Trade Locations: Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers
Sam Darnold
If you are Matt Rhule you need to get down on your knees and pray to the football Gods for your forgiveness. You gave up a 6th rounder last year, and a 2nd and 4th rounder this year for a guy who was seeing ghosts… Matt Rhule do you realize that this is the NFL and not Ghostbusters????? What a bozo move, whichever one of his assistants told him “That’s a great idea coach” needs to be canned. Why not use those picks to trade up in last year’s draft? Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, Mac Jones, Davis Mills? Any of those names ring a bell? They should because with the exception of Lance they all started for their respective teams, and with weapons like DJ Moore, Terrace Marshall, Robby Anderson, and an OC like now-fired Joe Brady, any one of those guys would have made themselves look better than on the teams they are on now. Instead of having Ghostbuster, Sam Darnold, you could’ve had a potential franchise QB, you probably could’ve made the playoffs, and you wouldn’t be on arguably one of the hottest seats in the NFL. Great job Matt, you played yourself. Now with one full season left, if you’re lucky, you need to look for a QB. Not to mention this may be one of the worst years in recent memory to need a QB. Do you feel silly yet?
The first order of business is getting rid of Darnold so that the paranoia doesn’t spread in the locker room. Unfortunately for you Darnold comes with an $18.9 million cap hit!!!! Plus shipping and handling. You aren’t even going to get a Chick-Fil-A catered war room on draft night. You would be lucky to get a Taco Bell catered war room. You should be offering Darnold, a pick, a Chick-Fil-A catered war room, and to pay Darnold’s entire contract to anyone even thinking about taking Darnold. This is just as bad if not worse than the Broncos paying Brock “Slenderman” Osweiler and sending him to Houston. At this point it’s not about the money, it’s about getting the crazy “fortune teller” out of your building, and quite honestly I don’t even think the psychics want him. All I can say is good luck, and when the time comes unemployment actually isn’t that bad. Hopefully you don’t make stupid choices like this for your family…. Disappointment. No further comment.
Potential Trade Locations: Tennessee Titans
Deshaun Watson *
Deshaun Watson is at the bottom of the list because obviously a decision has yet to be made regarding the sexual assault allegations against him. Unfortunately for Watson, he will most likely be staying in Houston until a legal decision is made.
In the scenario that Watson is cleared of all allegations/charges we believe that he will be the hottest QB on the market without question. Watson, turning 27 in September, is still young and last time he played was considered a top 5 QB, and that was with Houston who was still dumpster fire as of last time Watson played… some things never change.
If Watson can get traded to a team not named the Jacksonville Jaguars he should be able to pick up where he left off and continue to dominate in the league.
Potential Trade Locations: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Would become the most sought after of the group if he is cleared)
Lamar Jackson
To most of the NFL community seeing Lamar Jackson’s name here may be a shock, and a boiling hot take, and I agree this may be one of the hottest takes you see this offseason; however read through and see if you can understand our reasoning for this. We believe that Lamar Jackson is one of the most schematic based QBs in the NFL. The play caller behind Lamar Jackson’s offense in Baltimore is none other than Greg Roman. For those of you who are not familiar with coordinators in the league Greg Roman has been fired from both the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills where he held the offensive coordinator position. In his time with the 49ers he worked with Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick and his time in Buffalo spotlighted first time starter Tyrod Taylor. If you can see a trend, Roman has worked with primarily mobile QBs. Roman has a history of running a run first scheme, but when is enough enough? His inability to adapt or stubbornness to want to change his scheme on the surface seems to be the primary reason he continues to get fired. Lamar Jackson, above Kaepernick and Tyrod, very clearly has the potential to be the best of the three quarterbacks without a doubt in any fans mind. Lamar Jackson is the fastest and the shiftiest of the three guys, and on top of that has the strongest arm. Since entering the league, Lamar has had questions around his ability to throw the football, even being called a “running back” by many. He looked like he was making strides in his MVP season, and since then seems to have regressed slightly. You look at guys in the league who had wicked mobility coming out of college with a question mark around their ability to throw the football such as Josh Allen in Buffalo and you look at the strides he’s made. There seems to be something holding Lamar Jackson back in Baltimore, and we believe that the answer is Greg Roman. Look at Taylor and Kaepernick, last time I checked neither one of them were great throwers of the football and never developed under Roman. In my head if Roman could run the ball every play of every game he could. Lamar Jackson has the potential to arguably be the best QB of all time in terms of a passer and running QB, but it is not going to happen in Baltimore where it seems as though Roman is loved. I’ve seen Ravens fans calling for the head of Roman, but what happened was they kept him over Don “Wink” Martindale, who is arguably one of the best defensive coordinators in the league.
The rumors state that Lamar Jackson is looking for north of $40 million annually. Lamar Jackson is not worth that kind of money. End of story. If a team like Kansas City, Buffalo, Cincinnati, or even the Chargers take a big lead, Lamar Jackson is not going to come back in that kind of game because he is not going to be able to match Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, or Herbert throw for throw. The Ravens were extremely injury riddled on both sides of the ball especially defensively and I just think if you pay Lamar his $45mil/year or whatever he wants you are sacrificing not having the defense Baltimore is known for having and that helps carry this team to wins. You also risk not being able to pay lineman and weapons for Jackson… not that WRs are used much in this offense.
Look at the way Huntley played at the end of the year when Lamar went down. By the time Huntley was starter the Baltimore secondary did not exist, they were a bunch of young bucks and nobody’s. In week 14, Huntley was forced into action when Jackson was carted off with an ankle injury. Huntely threw for 270 and a TD, and yes they lost the game by 2 points, but it was on a failed 2-pt conversion. In Huntley’s first game as a starter he came back from 14 points down against now 2021 NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers and the Packers and lost once again because of 2-pt conversion(which was unnecessary in this game), he came up 1 point short against the now Super Bowl champion LA Rams in which he was sacked 5 times, and lost on an OT FG to the Steelers in week 18. Was the Steelers game his fault? He had 3 turnovers so yes it probably was, but for an undrafted kid out of Utah that was one heck of a run he put together with minimal help and small minded Greg Roman at the helm. Whether put in for garbage time or being the starter, in 6 games Huntley’s final stat line for the year was, 122/188, 68.4% comp, 1,081, 3 TDs, 4 INTs, 18 sacks, 4 fumbles(3 lost)… 47 carries, 294 yards, 2 TD’s . The kid put on a show.
Huntley wasn’t perfect this year, but he flashed a lot of potential. There are 100% teams calling the Ravens front office asking what the price is for Huntley especially with how weak the QB market is this year in FA and the draft. Keeping Huntley is a cheaper option which means that you will be able to bring in weapons for Huntley as well as keep the offensive line and defensive units intact. Furthermore, do you understand the package you could pull for Lamar Jackson? Lamar is still on his rookie deal, it’s not like the Ravens would take a major $40+ million cap hit if they trade him. Now is the time to sell high. Trade Jackson and reap the rewards, start Huntley who will be getting arguably the best defense in football back next season, and see what he can do. When the Ravens realize they messed up firing Martindale they will fire Roman and hopefully bring in an OC who can utilize Huntley’s ability to throw the ball as well as run, and hopefully develop Huntley in the way that Jackson was not. Jackson is being restricted in the Ravens offense, he needs to go somewhere he can develop his ability to throw the football.
Potential Trade Locations: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles