Every off-season, football fans look forward to the madness better known as free agency. Perhaps no position causes more chaos than free agent quarterbacks. To try and make sense of this free agency, I provide some insights on where the top guys may land.
Derek Carr: New York Jets
One of the top free agent quarterbacks this year is undoubtedly Derek Carr. After his release from the Las Vegas Raiders, Carr finds himself in need of a new home. Carr, 31, is a 4-time Pro Bowler and former MVP candidate that will surely find himself being a hot commodity for teams looking to win now. Although he was far from spectacular this year, there is no reason Carr cannot rejuvenate his career around new talent. To me, no place makes more sense than in New York with the Jets. The Jets took some massive strides this year as a franchise. They found themselves as true playoff contenders up until the end of the season. However, their defense was one of the better units in the league and were the main reason they were competitive. But, that is not to say that their offense didn’t show some flashes of effectiveness.
The emergence of rookie stars Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson brought new life to a formally bland and ineffective Jets offense. Unfortunately, having a combination of Zach Wilson, Mike White, and Joe Flacco at the helm wasn’t enough to get the Jets over the hump. The addition of Carr would not only provide a much needed upgrade when it comes to pure talent, but it will also provide much needed leadership that was lacking with Wilson behind center. Carr was the quarterback for 3 of the 4 highest single season receiving totals in Raiders history. He also made the playoffs twice during his tenure despite playing under 5 head coaches.
The Jets have a promising head coach in Robert Saleh as well as the young talent needed to have true success in the league. The Jets are ready to start winning now and so is Carr.
Jimmy Garoppolo: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay finds themselves in a peculiar situation when it comes to the cap and their potential free agents. The Buccaneers have 24 players who will possibly be unrestricted free agents come March, and are around $55 million over the projected cap for next season. There are ways to push some of this debt to the next couple years, but regardless, they’re going to have to make some tough decisions. With Tom Brady’s recent retirement, they also find themselves in need of a viable quarterback. Unfortunately, I don’t think Kyle Trask is that.
Assuming they want to save some money, while also staying competitive with their roster from this year, I think Jimmy Garoppolo could be a nice fit. Garoppolo isn’t a top tier quarterback , but he has won a lot of games as a starter and has proven that he can take a good supporting cast to the playoffs.
I don’t think the Bucs are quite ready to jump into full rebuild mode, but also don’t want to commit to an expensive veteran long term. Jimmy G won’t be nearly as expensive as some of the other guys on the market and will most likely not demand a long-term deal. I think the opportunity to prove himself with a solid roster while on a 1 or 2 year deal will be enticing for Garoppolo. I also believe that he could serve as bridge quarterback while Tampa searches for a franchise guy through the draft. They aren’t really in a position to take one this year, but may be soon.
Overall, I think it makes a lot of sense for both sides and will ultimately result in Garoppolo once again filling in for Brady.
Lamar Jackson: Miami Dolphins
Don’t get me wrong, Tua Tagovailoa looked incredible at points during this season. But, with the abundance of head injuries he suffered over the course of the year, I have some doubts of whether or not Tua will be able to compete consistently. The Miami Dolphins have already built themselves a track team with some of the fastest guys in the league. Why not make it even faster with the addition of the fastest quarterback in the league in Lamar Jackson?
He will be expensive, and they may even have to trade for him depending on what the Ravens decide. In my opinion, you do whatever you can to get him to South Beach. Jackson is an MVP winner and has shown that he can lead a team to success. The current Dolphins roster would be the best supporting cast Lamar has ever had. He would also be undeniably the most talented QB Miami has had in a long time. If Baltimore does indeed let Jackson walk, Miami should give him whatever he wants contract wise. If he gets tagged, I would assume the Dolphins would package Tagovailoa, picks, and whatever else they can for Jackson.
After narrowly losing in the playoffs to the Bills with Skylar Thompson under center, the Dolphins proved they can be serious contenders in the AFC. The sky would be the limit if you slide Jackson onto a team that good.
Geno Smith: Seattle Seahawks
The Comeback Player of the Year will be coming back to Seattle for at least another year. Although they narrowly missed the playoffs, the Seahawks are going to bring back Geno Smith on a 1 or 2 year deal. I think this makes perfect sense for both sides. For Smith, he had his career best year in 2022 and found his most success as a starter by far. He appeared to have a great connection with both Tyler Lockett and D.K.Metcalf, and he has a great young running back behind him in Kenneth Walker.
For Geno, it makes all too much sense to want to come back and not only replicate, but improve on his productive performance this past season. For the Seahawks, resigning Smith would provide them with a plethora of opportunities when it comes to their future. Seattle has over $30 million in cap space and a promising young roster moving forward. They narrowly missed the playoffs with Geno and the assumption would be that him and the supporting cast start working even better as a unit. Even if the Seahawks want to move forward with a young guy in the draft, they could still keep Geno around as a mentor and bridge guy until the rookie is ready. Whatever way you look at it, it truly does not hurt either party for him to stick around.
For all we know, these free agent quarterbacks could end up in completely different spots. But there lies the excitement of NFL free agency. I look forward to seeing where the top quarterbacks play next year as I’m sure many of you are. Free agents can officially sign at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 15.
tl//dr: Free Agent Quarterbacks
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