We’ve still got one game to play (the biggest one) but beyond that, I can see that this is shaping up to be one of the more interesting offseasons for quarterbacks. There are a number of veteran quarterbacks who could be on the move.
Perhaps most notably, Philip Rivers might be looking to sign with the Bucs. He’s packed up his family, moving from California to Florida. That puts him closer to family, but he could also be hoping to sign with a new team. Rivers is 38, and the Chargers might not be interested in re-signing him.
Rivers ain’t what he used to be, of course. The Bucs might not even want him. But if he were to wind up starting for this team, he would be a contender for top-5 passing numbers. Tampa Bay last year averaged a league-high 320 passing yards, with 33 touchdowns.
The Bucs are mulling whether to re-sign Jameis Winston or bring in somebody new.
Tom Brady might also be looking for a new team. Maybe he’s tired of the Patriots, or perhaps they’re reading to move on. It will need to play out, of course, but Brady says he’s definitely interested in playing. If it’s not in New England, it could be with the Chargers or Raiders. At an UFC fight in Las Vegas over the weekend, Brady was spotted chatting with Raiders owner Mark Davis.
The Bengals likely will select Joe Burrow with the first pick of the draft, so they’re probably hoping to trade Andy Dalton for a draft pick. Dalton doesn’t have the same kind of resume as Rivers or Brady, of course, but he’s younger. He’ll probably interest some team looking for a bridge starter or depth at the position. Some teams probably think that for 2020, Dalton is a better quarterback than Brady or Rivers.
Drew Brees likely will re-sign with the Saints, but that hasn’t happened yet. If New Orleans doesn’t like the price tag, it could move to somebody new. Brees is 40. Teddy Bridgewater went 5-0 as a starter for the team last year, but he’ll likely also be a free agent.
Other quarterbacks headed for unrestricted free agency: Dak Prescott, Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, Ryan Tannehill, Case Keenum and Eli Manning.
For fantasy purpose, I think the Tampa Bay offense is the most intriguing. Bruce Arians knows how to put together an offense, and he’s not shy about putting the ball in the air.
On the chart below, the teams are ordered by fantasy production in 2019 (using 4 points for TD passes and 1 for every 20 passing yards). Teams with some chance of having a different starter than they had on opening day in 2019 are tagged with black dots, and that’s 15 of the 32 teams.
| TEAM PASSING PRODUCTION | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Yds/G | TD | Int | Points |
| • Tampa Bay | 320.4 | 33 | 30 | 388.4 |
| Atlanta | 315.6 | 29 | 15 | 368.5 |
| • New Orleans | 276.9 | 36 | 6 | 365.6 |
| • Dallas | 306.4 | 30 | 11 | 365.1 |
| Kansas City | 293.1 | 30 | 5 | 354.5 |
| Seattle | 256.9 | 31 | 6 | 329.5 |
| • LA Chargers | 290.5 | 24 | 20 | 328.4 |
| • NY Giants | 254.4 | 30 | 17 | 323.5 |
| LA Rams | 291.8 | 22 | 17 | 321.5 |
| Detroit | 261.7 | 28 | 15 | 321.4 |
| Baltimore | 209.4 | 37 | 8 | 315.5 |
| • Tennessee | 247.3 | 29 | 8 | 313.8 |
| San Francisco | 251.8 | 28 | 13 | 313.5 |
| Houston | 255.2 | 27 | 14 | 312.2 |
| Philadelphia | 253.9 | 27 | 8 | 311.2 |
| • New England | 259.6 | 25 | 9 | 307.7 |
| Green Bay | 251.1 | 26 | 4 | 304.9 |
| • Jacksonville | 251.4 | 24 | 8 | 297.2 |
| • Miami | 257.3 | 22 | 18 | 293.9 |
| • Oakland | 256.9 | 22 | 8 | 293.5 |
| Minnesota | 233.1 | 26 | 8 | 290.5 |
| Cleveland | 240.4 | 22 | 21 | 280.4 |
| • Carolina | 258.4 | 17 | 21 | 274.7 |
| • Cincinnati | 249.6 | 18 | 16 | 271.7 |
| Arizona | 237.3 | 20 | 12 | 269.9 |
| Chicago | 223.3 | 20 | 12 | 258.7 |
| Buffalo | 217.3 | 21 | 12 | 257.8 |
| • Indianapolis | 207.1 | 22 | 10 | 253.7 |
| NY Jets | 215.2 | 19 | 16 | 248.2 |
| • Denver | 212.6 | 16 | 10 | 234.1 |
| Pittsburgh | 200.9 | 18 | 19 | 232.7 |
| • Washington | 200.3 | 18 | 13 | 232.3 |
—Ian Allan