2023 NFL free agency: More quarterbacks on the move?
It seems like every offseason in the NFL now there is some major movement with quarterbacks. The 2023 offseason seems like it could be more of the same. It was recently revealed that the Raiders will release Derek Carr, making him a free agent.
Additionally, there is some uncertainly with Lamar Jackson and his potential contract extension with the Ravens. Jimmy Garoppolo is a free agent as well and does not appear to be headed back to the San Francisco 49ers.
There could be a ton of QB movement this offseason, but there could also be very little.
2023 NFL free agency: More quarterbacks on the move?
The top dogs
Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson are the clear top quarterbacks this offseason that could find new homes. Rodgers is doing this darkness retreat to help him decide what he plans on doing with his football career going forward.
My hunch tells me that he formally requests a trade from the Green Bay Packers as both sides finally move on.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens appear to be far apart on a contract, and reports indicate that the team could trade the player if they got a high enough offer. To me, I just do not see how the Ravens bring themselves to trading the MVP.
I personally think the two sides end up with some type of agreement for the time being. I don’t think it will be what exactly each party is looking for, but it’ll be something.
The mid-tier
Guys like Geno Smith, Daniel Jones, Derek Carr, and Jimmy Garoppolo all make up this middle tier of “eh” type of players. None of them will likely win a Super Bowl as a starter, but you can bet that each will get paid this offseason, for better or worse.
Geno Smith and the Seahawks seem like a perfect fit for each other, and there has been nothing to indicate that a deal won’t get done.
I think the same goes for Daniel Jones and the New York Giants. Eventually, the Giants will bring in someone with a much higher ceiling, but Jones seems to be fine for the time being, and I think him and Brian Daboll are a great match.
Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo are interesting cases. Garoppolo has won more, but Carr is the better player. Each QB in their own way are kind of similar.
My best guess, or at least best fits for each one would be to see Carr end up with Frank Reich on the Carolina Panthers.
As for Garoppolo, I think the best fit for him would be the New York Jets, as he could reunite with Robert Saleh in New York, and I think the Jets are similarly constructed to the 49ers.
The rest
The rest would consist of players like Teddy Bridgewater, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Andy Dalton, Jameis Winson (potential cap casualty), among a few others.
These players could end up squeaking themselves into a starting role depending on what happens. I would feel comfortable with just about any of these players serving as a one year bridge for a rookie QB, or at least being in the room as a QB2 in that case.
There will always, always, always be a market for a decent backup QB. The elite quarterbacks in the NFL are just that, but having an “elite” backup is insanely valuable.
I don’t have team projections for these players, but I’d guess that they’d either end up on a contending team as a QB2 or on a rebuilding team in need of serviceable quarterback play in the meantime.