The quarterback dominoes are falling into place. Daniel Jones re-signed with the Giants, Geno Smith and Derek Carr agreed to deals yesterday, and over half of the league has locked down a starting quarterback.
A pair of other high-profile quarterbacks are also in the news today. The Ravens placed the franchise tag on Lamar Jackson, giving them the ability to match any offer he might sign with another team. And Aaron Rodgers is meeting with the Jets; the tea leaves suggest he’s far more likely to be playing with Las Vegas or New York this year, rather than returning to Green Bay.
Per reports, the deal Jones (pictured) signed with New York is worth $160 million for four years, with additional money available in incentives, but typically with contracts, the initial reports are high. The original stories on Carr, for example, were $150 million for four years, but now it’s been agreed on as more realistically about $100 million for three years. Smith deal with Seattle has settled as $75 million for three years, with another $30 million available in incentives. Given what Carr and Smith are going to make, $40 million-plus seems high for Jones.
On the Jackson front, the Falcons indicate they won’t be bidding for him.
In the chart below, I’m listing the expected starter for each team. I’ve got 17 of the 32 in bold. Those are the guys who are firm – who look certain to be starting for those teams. With the other 15 franchises, there still could be movement, with a notable player added to the roster.
| STARTING QUARTERBACKS FOR 2023 | |
|---|---|
| Team | Player |
| Arizona | Kyler Murray (inj.) |
| Atlanta | Ridder, draft pk or UFA |
| Baltimore | Lamar Jackson |
| Buffalo | Josh Allen |
| Carolina | draft pick or UFA |
| Chicago | Justin Fields |
| Cincinnati | Joe Burrow |
| Cleveland | Deshaun Watson |
| Dallas | Dak Prescott |
| Denver | Russell Wilson |
| Detroit | Jared Goff |
| Green Bay | Jordan Love |
| Houston | Mills, draft pick or UFA |
| Indianapolis | draft pick or UFA |
| Jacksonville | Trevor Lawrence |
| Kansas City | Patrick Mahomes |
| LA Chargers | Justin Herbert |
| LA Rams | Matthew Stafford |
| Las Vegas | Stidham, draft pk or UFA |
| Miami | Tua Tagovailoa |
| Minnesota | Kirk Cousins |
| New England | Mac Jones |
| New Orleans | Derek Carr |
| NY Giants | Daniel Jones |
| NY Jets | Aaron Rodgers (trade) |
| Philadelphia | Jalen Hurts |
| Pittsburgh | Kenny Pickett |
| San Francisco | Lance, Purdy or UFA |
| Seattle | Geno Smith |
| Tampa Bay | Trask, draft pk or UFA |
| Tennessee | Ryan Tannehill |
| Washington | Howell, draft pk or UFA |
| available free agent | • Baker Mayfield |
| available free agent | • Jimmy Garoppolo |
| available free agent | • Tom Brady |
—Ian Allan