After an unusual yet entertaining 2020 NFL season, several teams went into the offseason looking to make some changes to their rosters. In particular, many teams wanted a change at the quarterback position. Between trades, free agent signings and the draft, this offseason saw arguably the most movement of quarterbacks ever. It didn’t take long to have the first of these moves take place, however, as a blockbuster trade was made the week of the Super Bowl.
A trade between the Los Angeles Rams and the Detroit Lions saw a pair of quarterbacks get swapped: Matthew Stafford was acquired by the Rams for Jared Goff, who was sent to Detroit. After being selected first overall in the 2009 draft, Stafford had spent his entire career with the Lions. He had 12 productive seasons with the franchise, including three playoff appearances, but decided that he wanted a change of scenery. With the trade, Stafford finally has a chance to win a Super Bowl, as the Rams are poised to be one of the best teams in the NFL this season.
As for Goff, another former No. 1 draft pick, he is coming to a team that is in a rebuild. Goff had an up-and-down career with the Rams, though he did bring the team to Super Bowl LIII in the 2018 season. Since then, however, Goff has largely struggled to the point where the Rams were looking to move on from him. The Lions, who are currently in a rebuild, hope that Goff can resurrect his career in Detroit so they can become a contender in the future.
The Rams and Lions will face each other in Week 7 in Los Angeles this season and it should be exciting to see which of the quarterbacks from the trade comes away on top.
A couple of weeks after the first deal, another trade went down, as the Indianapolis Colts acquired Carson Wentz from the Philadelphia Eagles. Wentz, who was picked right after Goff in the 2016 draft, was productive during his time with the Eagles but had the worst statistical season of his career last year. He had a career-low in passing yards and passing touchdowns, as well as a career high in interceptions thrown. Wentz was eventually benched in favor of rookie Jalen Hurts in Week 14, who was the starter for the rest of the season.
At the conclusion of the season, there was uncertainty regarding whether the Eagles would keep Wentz, cut him or trade him due to the potential cap hit he would cause. After weeks of speculation, the Eagles decided to trade him to the Colts. The Colts had an opening at the quarterback position following the retirement of Philip Rivers, and with Wentz being available, the team decided to take a chance on him as Rivers’ replacement.
Many believe the Colts are the best landing spot for Wentz. He is reuniting with head coach Frank Reich, who was Wentz’s offensive coordinator in Philadelphia from 2016 to 2017. Wentz should feel more comfortable playing for the coach that helped him develop into a franchise quarterback early in his career. With Wentz no longer in Philadelphia, the starting quarterback job officially belongs to Jalen Hurts, which will make it his first full season as the starter.
Another trade for a young quarterback took place just three weeks before the draft, when the Carolina Panthers acquired Sam Darnold from the New York Jets. Darnold was the third overall pick in the 2018 draft and was considered to be the franchise savior for the Jets. After three underwhelming seasons, however, Gang Green decided to move on from the 23-year-old.
Leading up to the trade, the Panthers were rumored to have interest in some of the quarterbacks in this year’s draft, but opted to trade for Darnold instead. Darnold is joining an offense that has a solid group of young playmakers, and, playing with the best surrounding cast he has had in his young career, he has a chance to succeed for a long time in Carolina.
Once Darnold was officially traded to the Panthers, the team looked to trade veteran Teddy Bridgewater, who was their starter last season. On the eve of the draft, they were able to strike a deal with the Denver Broncos. The Broncos had been looking to upgrade the quarterback position after two disappointing seasons from Drew Lock. With Lock still on the roster, he still has a chance to start for Denver, however, the path to the starting job has become more challenging for him with the addition of Bridgewater. Those two will compete during training camp and the preseason, and the starting job will most likely come down to which of them outperforms the other.
Though there were no big names at quarterback who hit free agency this offseason, there were some experienced veterans who received a lot of interest. One of them was Ryan Fitzpatrick, who signed a one-year deal with the Washington Football Team. Fitzpatrick is a 16-year veteran and will now be on his ninth different team of his career, which is an NFL record for a quarterback. He spent the last two seasons with the Miami Dolphins, where he went back-and-forth between being a starter and a backup. In Washington, however, he is expected to be the starter throughout the season. Washington went through four starting quarterbacks last season, including the playoffs, and are hoping for consistency from the 38-year-old.
This year’s draft welcomed new QBs into the league. In the first round alone, five quarterbacks were selected within the first 15 picks. Starting with the first overall pick, the Jacksonville Jaguars, who had the No. 1 overall pick for the first time in franchise history, selected Trevor Lawrence from Clemson University. Lawrence is considered one of the best quarterback prospects to come out of college in a long time. As a true freshman, Lawrence led the Tigers to an undefeated season on their way to a National Championship. He went on to set the Clemson record for quarterback wins, with his only losses coming in the 2020 National Championship and the 2021 Sugar Bowl.
Selecting Lawrence was a no-brainer for the Jaguars front office, who have been in search of a franchise quarterback for its entire existence. The team finished with a 1-15 record last season, and are hoping that Lawrence’s winning ways in college can translate at the NFL level for years to come.
With the second overall pick in the draft, the Jets selected Zach Wilson from Brigham Young University. The 6’2”, 214 pound quarterback had a breakout season in 2020, ranking second in the FBS in completion percentage and third in passing touchdowns. He also made some highlight throws during his Pro Day, which rose his draft stock. The Jets gave Darnold the chance to be the franchise quarterback and the team will do the same with Wilson, hoping he can stick around longer.
The following pick saw yet another quarterback being taken off the board. The San Francisco 49ers selected Trey Lance with the third overall pick. The Niners originally had pick No. 12, but a few weeks before the draft moved up nine spots and used the pick to select the signal caller from North Dakota State University. This came as a shock to many, as the team already has a quarterback on its roster in Jimmy Garoppolo, who is just two years removed from bringing the 49ers to the Super Bowl.
As of right now, Garoppolo is still on the 49ers roster and is expected to be the starter to begin the season. It will be interesting to monitor Garoppolo, as well as the entire team’s performance throughout the season, to see if they will e
ventually turn to Lance.
The next quarterback selected was Justin Fields from Ohio State University by the Chicago Bears. The Bears originally held the No. 20 overall pick, but also moved up nine spots, selecting Fields, who led the Buckeyes to the National Championship game this past season. After four disappointing seasons from former first-rounder Mitchell Trubisky, the team was looking to improve at the quarterback position. The Bears signed veteran Andy Dalton to a one-year contract in free agency and announced that he would be their starter. However, with the selection of Fields, that is no longer a guarantee. Dalton and Fields should make for a good competition for the starting job in Chicago.
The last quarterback who was drafted in the first round was Mac Jones from the University of Alabama, who was selected by the New England Patriots No. 15 overall. The 22-year-old led the Crimson Tide to the National Championship and defeated Justin Fields’ Ohio State last season. New England has been in search of a franchise quarterback ever since the departure of Tom Brady. The team signed Cam Newton last season, and he had a shaky year as the starter. However, he was re-signed again this offseason, and is expected to remain as the team’s starting quarterback, while Jones sits on the sidelines for a year. The Patriots hope Jones can be the QB of the future and serve as a replacement for one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
Overall, this offseason saw a bevy of quarterback movement. With signal-callers finding new homes all around the NFL, the league has been shaken up and multiple teams’ fortunes could turn around thanks to the personnel changes.
Photo Courtesy of Brevin Townsell/Los Angeles Rams
