Another offseason, another slew of quarterback concerns around the league. It seems a little like there are more than ever, not only because of the importance of the position, but because of veterans retiring and/or clear underperformers. Let's take a look.
Up first are the 17 teams (just over half the league) who it's pretty fair to say are set at quarterback. Where there's some uncertainty, comment is added.
| DEFINITELY HAVE A QUARTERBACK | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | Quarterback | Comment |
| Arizona | Kyler Murray | |
| Baltimore | Lamar Jackson | |
| Buffalo | Josh Allen | |
| Chicago | Justin Fields | |
| Cincinnati | Joe Burrow | |
| Cleveland | Baker Mayfield | Browns committed for one more year |
| Dallas | Dak Prescott | |
| Detroit | Jared Goff | Lions say he's their guy for now |
| Jacksonville | Trevor Lawrence | |
| Kansas City | Patrick Mahomes | |
| Las Vegas | Derek Carr | |
| L.A. Chargers | Justin Herbert | |
| L.A. Rams | Matthew Stafford | |
| New England | Mac Jones | |
| N.Y. Jets | Zach Wilson | |
| San Francisco | Trey Lance | Team likely trading/releasing Garoppolo |
| Tennessee | Ryan Tannehill | |
Next are the nine teams who at least might need or want to replace their quarterback. The problem for these two latter groups (including the ones who definitely do not have a quarterback, in the third table) is that the draft doesn't appear to have any sure-thing passers -- a quarterback isn't necessarily going to be selected in the top 5 picks. Potentially the teams at the very top (like the Jaguars) could trade out of that spot with a quarterback-desperate team, but none of the top quarterback prospects (Matt Corral, Kenny Pickett, Sam Howell) clearly merits such a selection.
| MAY NOT HAVE A QUARTERBACK | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | Quarterback | Comment |
| Atlanta | Matt Ryan | Contract probably means team stuck with him for one more year |
| Green Bay | Aaron Rodgers | Enough smoke to indicate trade or retirement possibilities |
| Houston | Davis Mills | Played well, but team could still kick tires on other options |
| Indianapolis | Carson Wentz | Uneven enough season that team might not be sold on him |
| Miami | Tua Tagovailoa | Is anyone sold on him? |
| Minnesota | Kirk Cousins | Whispers that team could look elsewhere |
| N.Y. Giants | Daniel Jones | Team states commitment; we'll see |
| Philadelphia | Jalen Hurts | Mostly strong season, but Eagles have three 1sts and never seem satisfied |
| Seattle | Russell Wilson | Team wants to keep him, he might want out |
Last table is teams who definitely need a quarterback. It's actually a relatively short list, but I think a healthy chunk of the teams in the table above are at the very least thinking about other options, or will definitely need another option.
| DON'T HAVE A QUARTERBACK | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | Quarterback | Comment |
| Carolina | Sam Darnold | Team must upgrade, somehow |
| Denver | Drew Lock | Teddy Bridgewater a free agent. No way the team enters camp without other option(s) |
| New Orleans | Taysom Hill | Jameis Winston a free agent. Hill's biggest fan quit last week. |
| Pittsburgh | Mason Rudolph | Pro: Rudolph has started 10 games. Con: Last 4 includes 2 losses to Cleveland and tie with Detroit. |
| Tampa Bay | Kyle Trask | 2nd-rounder wasn't even active for a game last season. |
| Washington | Taylor Heinicke | Career as journeyman backup awaits. |
Finally, here is the list of veteran quarterbacks -- not counting Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson, mentioned previously -- who either may or will be available to start in 2022, somewhere.
| QUARTERBACKS HEADED ELSEWHERE | |
|---|---|
| Quarterback | Comment |
| Deshaun Watson | If legal situation resolved, he'll be elsewhere. |
| Marcus Mariota | Other than Watson (again, assuming lawsuits taken care of), Mariota might be the top veteran out there |
| Jameis Winston | Somebody, perhaps New Orleans, will take the plunge. |
| Jimmy Garoppolo | One of 10 best quarterbacks? No. One of 32 best? Sure. |
| Gardner Minshew | Vocal about desire to start, confidence in himself. |
Any possible 2022 starters missing from the lists above? (I elected not to mention Tyrod Taylor and Ryan Fitzpatrick, though I guess you never know.) Let me know below.
--Andy Richardson

