The 2020 season isn’t even a week in the rearview mirror, and it’s very clear that quarterbacks are going to dominate the offseason like never before. There will be substantial turnover at the position, including some of the game’s very best players.
The Rams and Lions have already agreed to a trade involving Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff. Carson Wentz looks certain to be dealt. Philip Rivers retired. And we’re just getting started.
Deshaun Watson says he wants to be traded, setting up an intriguing standoff with the Texans. How long will they be willing to wait him out, as they weigh trade offers against the possibility of Watson simply choosing not to show up?
And Russell Wilson may be wading into this fray. He’s typically been a company man, but he’s been more vocal in recent days about wanting better talent around him and more of a say in personnel matters. (Wilson didn’t do well in his brief foray into the personnel side last year; he was the driving force behind the Seahawks signing Greg Olsen to a one-year deal worth $7 million – Olsen was the team’s 8th-highest paid player but wasn’t much of a factor.)
Reports indicate that Seattle’s management is miffed about Wilson popping off in the media. Yet, Wilson is scheduled to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Friday. Media reports multiple teams have contacted the Seahawks about trading for the star quarterback.
Wilson doesn’t look particularly likely to be traded for the 2021 season, but it’s at least possible. And there’s going to be a ton of moment on this front.
It’s all pretty remarkable. Since the merger in 1970, I see only 18 instances in which a quarterback finished with top-10 numbers (using standard fantasy scoring), then played for a different team the next season. And it’s happened only three times in the last 10 years (and one of those – Jameis Winston – was a player nobody really wanted).
With none of those 18 quarterbacks, however, is there a player of the caliber of Watson or Wilson. Fran Tarkenton, Ken Stabler, Warren Moon, Drew Brees and Brett Favre were all Hall of Fame type guys, but none of them were on the Watson-Wilson level at that point in their career.
The previous movers are listed below. Seven went on to post top-10 numbers with their new team, and I’ve got them in bold.
| TRANSPLANTED QUARTERBACKS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Old | New | St | Pass | TD | Run | TDR | Rk |
| 1971 | Norm Snead | Phil. | Min. | 2 | 470 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 41 |
| 1972 | Fran Tarkenton | NYG | Min. | 14 | 2,651 | 18 | 180 | 0 | 4 |
| 1973 | John Hadl | S.D. | LAR | 14 | 2,008 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| 1980 | Ken Stabler | Oak. | Hou. | 16 | 3,202 | 13 | -22 | 0 | 22 |
| 1984 | Richard Todd | NYJ | N.O. | 14 | 2,178 | 11 | 111 | 0 | 20 |
| 1985 | Gary Danielson | Det. | Cle. | 6 | 1,274 | 8 | 126 | 0 | 33 |
| 1989 | Steve Pelluer | Dall. | K.C. | 3 | 301 | 1 | 143 | 2 | 42 |
| 1993 | Bobby Hebert | N.O. | Atl. | 12 | 2,978 | 24 | 49 | 0 | 8 |
| 1994 | Warren Moon | Hou. | Min. | 15 | 4,264 | 18 | 55 | 0 | 5 |
| 1997 | Jeff Hostetler | Oak. | Was. | 3 | 899 | 5 | 28 | 0 | 41 |
| 2001 | Elvis Grbac | K.C. | Balt. | 14 | 3,033 | 15 | 18 | 1 | 23 |
| 2006 | Drew Brees | S.D. | N.O. | 16 | 4,418 | 26 | 32 | 0 | 2 |
| 2008 | Brett Favre | G.B. | NYJ | 16 | 3,472 | 22 | 43 | 1 | 11 |
| 2009 | Jay Cutler | Den. | Chi. | 16 | 3,666 | 27 | 173 | 1 | 10 |
| 2009 | Matt Cassel | N.E. | K.C. | 15 | 2,924 | 16 | 189 | 0 | 21 |
| 2018 | Kirk Cousins | Was. | Min. | 16 | 4,298 | 30 | 123 | 1 | 8 |
| 2018 | Alex Smith | K.C. | Was. | 10 | 2,180 | 10 | 168 | 1 | 33 |
| 2020 | Jameis Winston | T.B. | N.O. | 0 | 75 | 0 | -6 | 0 | 69 |
—Ian Allan