{"id":21662,"date":"2022-03-09T15:00:58","date_gmt":"2022-03-09T20:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/?p=21662"},"modified":"2022-03-09T15:01:00","modified_gmt":"2022-03-09T20:01:00","slug":"10-best-2022-free-agent-quarterbacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/nfl\/10-best-2022-free-agent-quarterbacks\/","title":{"rendered":"10 BEST 2022 FREE AGENT QUARTERBACKS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BY ADAM GREENE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the salary cap abnormally low in the 2021-22 season due to fanless stadiums and COVID-19 the year before, this offseason boasts a particularly robust free agent market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No position better exemplifies that than the quarterback class, boasting six former first round picks, one former league Most Valuable Player, five men that led teams to the postseason and one that started a Super Bowl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the 10 men I\u2019ve selected for this list, some are primed to start for teams in the fall as upgrades for their current (or 2021) starters. Others are high end back ups that have proven they can win games if called upon. Many are men that have stumbled through bad luck, timing and injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve written it many times and it remains true. There are 32 franchises in the NFL. There are not 32 franchise quarterbacks on Planet Earth. Sometimes, you just have to go to war with the best guy you have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. RYAN FITZPATRICK<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021:  50 completion percentage, 13 yards<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Ryan Fitzpatrick is healthy last season, the Washington Commanders were probably a playoff team. With just a one year deal, he\u2019s back on the market and in danger of, once again, being signed by a team with a young quarterback that Fitzpatrick\u2019s presence and talent can completely ruin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fitz isn\u2019t a starter, but he can start and play extremely well. Well enough that if you\u2019re, say, Zach Wilson, it\u2019s a problem having him in the building. You want to develop a young guy and play him, not push him with a vet like Fitzpatrick. The fact that Fitz continually finds himself in these situations just shows how poorly so many of these teams are managed and why their highly touted quarterback picks are doomed from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As such, a real general manager should look at Fitz as insurance for an already established quarterback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perfect landing spot: Buffalo Bills<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Mitchell Trubisky departing as a free agent, there\u2019s no reason not to bring in their former starter to back up Josh Allen. Of course, the wrench in the works could be that Fitzpatrick, after colleting over $82 million in his NFL career, could call it a day and head to the broadcast booth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fitzpatrick can\u2019t \u201cpush\u201d Allen, who is an NFL superstar. What he can do is win a game or two if Allen gets nicked up in the regular season, something that could happen with his physical style of play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. TYROD TAYLOR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021: 60.7 completion percentage, 966 yards, five touchdowns, five interceptions, 151 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taylor has had one of the strangest NFL careers on record. No one has believed and bet on himself more only to see those bets continually come back as pushes and no pays. Last year Taylor once again made the decision to sign with a team in which he could start, only to get injured once again and displaced by a rookie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As usual, Taylor played well when he got onto the field and can win football games as a starter. But, like Fitzpatrick, he shouldn\u2019t be a starter. He should be a back up called in from the bullpen when the starter goes down. Taylor, and you can hardly blame him, has never felt this way about himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perfect Landing Spot: Baltimore Ravens<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like the Bills, Baltimore is losing a talented back up to free agency and likely greener pastures. If they\u2019re going to keep Greg Roman employed and run his Pop Warner offense, then they need to keep guys on the team that can pull the trigger outside of Jackson, who was hurt all through the end of last season. Taylor is that guy, a former Raven, and ran Roman\u2019s offense when both were with Buffalo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. CAM NEWTON<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021: 54.8 completion percentage, 684 yards, four touchdowns, five interceptions, 47 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It breaks my heart to slide in Cam Newton this low, but last year, for the first time, he started to look a little old. There\u2019s every chance that his lackluster looking performances weren\u2019t his fault. For the second year in a row, he did not get to go through a full offseason and training camp with the team he eventually landed with. It could be that if a team snatches him up now, he can bounce back to somewhere close to what he used to be. Getting 85 percent of 2015-2018 Cam Newton is still a pretty good quarterback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But no one should be looking at Cam, with what he put on tape last season, as their starter coming in. What would be great for a team with an iffy QB situation is to let Newton compete for the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perfect landing spot: Carolina Panthers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know I\u2019m not the only one that enjoyed the reunification of the Panthers and the best quarterback in their franchise\u2019s history. I also can\u2019t be alone in wishing it had gone better. Carolina is probably stuck with Sam Darnold another season and unless they pull the trigger on one of the rookies early in the draft, there\u2019s no reason to not let Cam and Sam duke it out in training camp for the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. JACOBY BRISSETT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021: 62.7 completion percentage, 1,283 yards, five touchdowns, four interceptions, 70 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re doing the math here, we\u2019ve yet to cross into \u201csigning a starter\u201d territory, but still in high end back up mode. Brissett is a lot like Taylor in that he wants to be a starter and feels like he can be, but any team putting him on the field for 17 games is looking at a 3-5 win season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brissett has started 37 games in the NFL and never led a team to a winning record. But, there\u2019s a reason these franchises have no fear of tossing him the ball. He went 2-3 in spot work for the Miami Dolphins last year and put up NFL numbers in each one. A player like Brissett, who won\u2019t lose you a game, but probably won\u2019t make consistent plays to win one, can be the difference in making the playoffs and missing them for a team dealing with a QB injury. And while the league might be dropping all its official COVID-19 protocols, it doesn\u2019t mean the pandemic, and guys missing games due to illness, is just going to go away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perfect fit: Las Vegas Raiders<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many of the above guys, you want Brissett to be an asset to your team, not push your starter. Derek Carr is firmly established now, and I would venture to call him a borderline franchise quarterback. Brissett can keep the ship afloat if Carr gets nicked for a game or two and like Marcus Mariota, who he would be replacing, could add some red zone wrinkles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. JOSH ROSEN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021: 18.2 completion percentage, 19 yards, two interceptions<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosen is another bad signing or two from heading to one of our great lost quarterback careers. He was taken No. 10 overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2018 NFL Draft and had, by all accounts, an above average rookie season on a bad team. He completed 55.2 percent of his passes for 2,278 yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in a division with the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, the team dumped him for Kyler Murray when Kliff Kingsbury was hired and he\u2019s not been able to get back on track since. He spent last season with the Falcons, backing up Matt Ryan, and played poorly when he got in. His career is now at a crossroads, with the XFL or USFL looming in his future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perfect fit: Los Angeles Rams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosen\u2019s top comparison coming out of college, when Mike Mayock wasn\u2019t calling him the \u201cnext Matt Ryan,\u201d as he is wont to do, was Jared Goff. Rams head coach Sean McVay obviously got the most out of Goff and if that\u2019s where Rosen tops out, then he\u2019s an OK NFL starter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rams are currently looking at Bryce Perkins as their back up QB this year and will want to pay nothing in the position with their salary cap situation and star heavy roster. Rosen can take a minimum deal and re-learn the position from the best offensive coach in the game. And maybe win a Super Bowl ring in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. TEDDY BRIDGEWATER<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021: 66.9 completion percentage, 3,052 yards, 18 touchdowns, seven interceptions, 106 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have now crossed the high end back up to NFL starter line of demarcation in our rankings. Bridgewater\u2019s stock has taken a hit in recent seasons thanks to being on bad teams. He had a winning record as a starter, even going 5-0 coming off the bench for the New Orleans Saints in 2019, but went 4-11 in his stint with the Panthers and 7-7 with the Denver Broncos last season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you look at his stat line, he\u2019s the same guy he\u2019s always been. A Kurt Cousins type, who won\u2019t lose you a game, but probably won\u2019t deliver the \u201cwow\u201d plays it takes to take home a ring without a dominating defense. He\u2019s smart, protects the ball and has never thrown more interceptions than touchdowns in a season, not even when he was a rookie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perfect fit: New Orleans Saints<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no reason not to reunite with the team he helped make the postseason a couple of years ago. They have no quarterback on the roster right now, and yes, I realize Taysom Hill is on the roster right now. Bridgewater knows the system, can thrive in it, and make the most out of the offensive players Dennis Allen still has on the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. TYLER HUNTLEY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021: 64.9 completion percentage, 1,081 yards, three touchdowns, four interceptions, 294 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Huntley started four games for the Baltimore Ravens last season and finished 1-3 and while that might not impress on its face, if you watched the kid play in those contests, you know he wasn\u2019t the issue. Two of the three losses were by one score and all three of his losses came against playoff teams, including the two that met in the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While I have many complaints about offensive coordinator Greg Roman\u2019s offense, Huntley\u2019s performance in it looked very Lamar Jackson-esque. In fact, you can describe his game as Lamar Jackson Lite and pretty much sum it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is he an NFL starter? It\u2019s hard to say, but he looked the part when handed the keys last year and made some dynamic plays in big games to keep his team alive for the playoffs down to the wire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perfect fit: Cleveland Browns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While I think teams in need of a QB should look at Huntley as a potential \u201cand inexpensive\u201d starter to test drive this season, it\u2019s Cleveland\u2019s best interests to bring someone in as some Baker Mayfield insurance. The fact that you\u2019re stealing him from a division rival is just a bonus. Case Keenum is one of the most expensive backups in the league and he\u2019s worth it, but he\u2019s not the guy to take over the team if Mayfield flames out. Huntley might be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. JAMEIS WINSTON<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021: 59 completion percentage, 1,170 yards, 14 touchdowns, three interceptions, 32 rushing yards, one touchdown<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before tearing his ACL last season, Winston led the Saints to a 5-2 start, with huge wins over the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If Winston hadn\u2019t gone down in that same Bucs game, New Orleans probably coasts into the playoffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winston\u2019s issues back as a potential \u201cfranchise\u201d quarterback and No. 1 overall pick were turnovers. He\u2019s the first quarterback in NFL history to throw 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in a single season. In nearly half a season as the starter for New Orleans, he threw 14 touchdowns and just three picks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perfect fit: Washington Commanders<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Aaron Rodgers now officially off the market and the Seahawks not particularly interested in trading Russell Wilson, especially to another team in the conference, the Commanders have been scouring every QB option. Watson still might be the best possible fit, and he\u2019ll definitely be traded, but Winston would be significantly cheaper and allow Washington to build around him (and build up the rest of their team) by keeping its draft capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. MITCHELL TRUBISKY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021: 75 completion percentage, 43 yards, one interception<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The irony of the NFL combine and the potential draftable quarterbacks present is that the talk of Indianapolis was none other than Mitchell Trubisky, former No. 2 overall pick. Trubisky has been unjustly maligned as an NFL starter simply because of his draft position. He was taken ahead of Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes in the 2017, but that\u2019s hardly his fault. If he was the fourth QB taken in that draft, who would complain?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trubisky is 29-21 as a starter and led the Chicago Bears to the playoff twice under Matt Nagy. You saw what the team looked like without Trubisky last season. The only year he posted a losing record as a starter was his rookie season when he went 4-8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perfect fit: Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bruce Arians can talk up Blaine Gabbert as a starter all he wants, but Gabbert is a free agent this offseason too and there\u2019s a reason he\u2019s not shown up on this list. The market for Trubisky is robust and he could easily end up on a team like the Denver Broncos or Indianapolis Colts, but I think those two squads are going to push hard for a Watson trade (and they should). Whichever one doesn\u2019t land Watson, will probably go for Jimmy Garoppolo. Trubisky will be gone in free agency\u2019s opening days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bucs make too much sense. Trubisky\u2019s skillset fits their personnel and he\u2019d allow them to keep the draft picks they have and push the acquisition of a rookie QB to next season at least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. MARCUS MARIOTA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021: 50 completion percentage, four yards, 87 rushing yards, one rushing touchdowns<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mariota has taken a two season break, serving as Derek Carr\u2019s back up in Las Vegas and playing very well any time they\u2019ve tossed him on the field. Back with the Tennessee Titans, he led the team to the playoffs in 2017 with Mike Mularkey as his dead coach and picked up their first postseason victory since 2008.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The acquisition of Ryan Tannehill and an offense that didn\u2019t fit his best skillset ended his time in Tennessee, but Mariota is 29-32 as a starter and, in his five years where he did start, posted a losing record just twice and one of those was his rookie season. He was 2-4 when Tannehill took over in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perfect fit: Pittsburgh Steelers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the big losers in Rodgers and the Packers burying the hatchet Tuesday morning was the Steelers, who never trade boatloads of picks for anyone, but were about to pull the trigger on the reigning NFL MVP. It obviously didn\u2019t happen, so it\u2019s back to the drawing board for Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Steelers will likely be very involved in the Jimmy Garoppolo sweepstakes, but the Colts and Broncos are more desperate and I think the price will get too high. Mariota, on the other hand, can be had for two years, $18 million or so and immediately impact the team with his playmaking ability and an offense more suited to what he can do. I have not given up on Mariota\u2019s franchise QB potential and, in the right situation, he can find a forever home and keep a team like the Steelers in contention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connect with us our socials on Twitter<\/a> and Instagram<\/a> for the latest sports news, viral moments, betting odds and the occasional memes.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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