Skip to content

Predicting the 2017 starter for every QB-needy team

Eric Hartline / USA TODAY Sports

Bring on the blockbusters.

More so than any year in recent memory, this offseason appears to have a number of teams in the market to make major moves at the most important position on the field.

Here's a look at how a particularly intriguing quarterback market could shake out in the coming weeks, predicting a 2017 starter for each team that could be making changes under center.

Texans - Tony Romo

Houston is far and away the most sensible destination for Romo looking ahead to when he receives his inevitable release from the Cowboys. From the veteran signal-caller's perspective, staying in Texas and having the opportunity to compete for a Super Bowl would have to be an attractive combination. While it'd be tough to admit the mistake with Brock Osweiler so soon, what else is there to see from the 2016 free-agent bust? The Texans need to capitalize on the championship window their defense provides, and Romo gives them an opportunity to do just that. The 36-year-old is still a Top-10 quarterback talent, when healthy.

49ers - Kirk Cousins

The relationship between Cousins and the Redskins has the potential to get ugly, if it hasn't already. Barring a major breakthrough in contract negotiations, a second consecutive use of the franchise tag seems like the most likely scenario. That's where a team like San Francisco can swoop in with a trade offer. Having worked with Cousins for the first two years of his career in Washington, Kyle Shanahan will likely consider him a particularly strong fit for the offense. As long as this rebuilding process may end up being, taking care of the top priority right out of the gates would certainly make for a good start.

Redskins - Jay Cutler

Letting Cousins go would be a tough decision for Washington. But if management doesn't want to meet his market value - an entirely justifiable stance which seems increasingly possible - then why not get some significant draft compensation while they still can? Such a move would, of course, force the Redskins to address the position in the draft sooner rather than later. In the meantime, Cutler could provide a solid bridge option. For all the criticism he gets, there's reason to believe he can still be a solid starter - especially with a Redskins supporting cast that deserves plenty of credit for the ascent of Cousins.

Bears - Jimmy Garoppolo

A first-round pick seems far too rich for a former second-round selection who's thrown 94 career passes and is now heading into the final year of his contract. If the Patriots can be talked into a deal centered around a second-round selection, though, the Bears should be among the first teams in line. Landing Garoppolo for a Day 2 pick would allow Chicago to avoid reaching for a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick in the opening round. Immediately having to give him a contract extension is less than ideal, but the Bears certainly have the cap space to take the chance.

Bills - Deshaun Watson

The Bills declining Tyrod Taylor's option would be a controversial move, to be sure. As significant as the 2017 cash commitments may be, the most sensible decision would actually be to take the one-year hit and have Taylor in place under an extremely affordable cap hit for the forseeable future. But it appears possible that both sides soured on one another toward the end of the 2016 season. The Bills are finally in a good spot to land a quarterback of the future with the No. 10 pick, and Watson is among the best of this year's bunch. Buffalo certainly likes its Clemson players in the first round.

Broncos - Tyrod Taylor

Denver should be right there waiting to capitalize if Buffalo indeed ends up cutting ties with Taylor. The dynamic signal-caller, who can threaten defenses both through the air and on the ground, would lift the Broncos' offense in a way that Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch simply can't. The absence of passable quarterback play held the Broncos back from Super Bowl contention last season, and Taylor's talents would be more than enough to address that issue. Providing a historically great defense with so much as a passable complement on the other side of the ball would have to make Denver a favorite in the AFC.

Jets - Mitch Trubisky

The Christian Hackenberg experiment is coming to an end before it even had a chance to truly begin. New York's refusal to put the second-round rookie on the field amid a lost 2016 season tells us all we need to know about his chances of emerging as the club's franchise quarterback. Considered by many to be the top quarterback in this draft, Trubisky is a sensible target for the Jets at No. 6 overall. The North Carolina product finally gives the Jets a high-upside talent to implement as the offensive centerpiece, meanwhile buying both the coaching staff and upper management some additional time to get things turned around.

Chiefs - Alex Smith

Kansas City isn't going to win a Super Bowl in today's NFL with Alex Smith under center. That being said, a late first-round draft pick and a tight salary-cap situation don't exactly offer up many avenues to replace him this year. The smart money is on Smith returning as starter for one more season, and the Chiefs targeting his eventual replacement at some point early in the draft. Whether that's Watson, Trubisky, DeShone Kizer, Patrick Mahomes, or even a potential Day 2 target, such a player could sit behind Smith for a year before taking over in 2018.

Browns - Colin Kaepernick

The Browns are in an interesting spot. Fully committed to doing the rebuild the right way, and understanding that there's still several offseasons' worth of work to be done, reaching to draft a quarterback or giving up picks to trade for a veteran should be out of the question. Look for Cleveland to instead use its surplus of draft capital to bolster the roster elsewhere, putting off the drafting of a top passer until next year. Kaepernick should be at the top of the list of available free agents when he opts out of his contract. The soon-to-be-former 49ers quarterback quietly had a decent 2016 season with zero help around him, throwing for 2,241 yards, 16 touchdowns, and just four interceptions in 12 games. Hue Jackson, who is known to have loved Kaepernick leading up to the 2011 draft while with the Raiders, could get the most out of his talents over the next year or two.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox