I have to admit, I'm still incredibly confused by this Texans-Browns trade. It sure looks like Cleveland was doing Houston a favor by taking on Brock Osweiler's contract, but if the Browns are as serious about Jimmy Garoppolo as they've been letting on, why take on a $16 million contract for another quarterback? Although, if Cleveland is immediately going to trade or release Osweiler as has been suggested, the whole thing looks like nothing more than a salary dump so Houston could get out of that ridiculously bloated contract for a guy that was a total bust in Houston.
Dallas has also said that Tony Romo is likely going to be traded rather than released, and the two teams mentioned in the Romo Sweepstakes were the Texans and Broncos. So, is it really a coincidence that Houston cleared $16 million in salary cap space while simultaneously leaving themselves without a quarterback? Of course not! That would seem to indicate Romo's staying in Texas instead of heading to Denver (which is a perfect fit for him, and a move I've been suggesting since like October).
We're only like two days in, and this has already been one of the craziest NFL free agent/trade seasons I can remember. Although, that might be a good thing. Because maybe teams are finally realizing the value of a franchise quarterback and figuring out who is one and who isn't.
Think about it. What's been the biggest difference between the teams that have consistently been in the playoffs and those that are in a perpetual rebuilding mode? The quarterback. (There's a reason why the same three guys have quarterbacked the AFC in 13 of the last 15 Super Bowls.) You give me a stable franchise, I'll give you a franchise quarterback. Meanwhile, what do the Browns, Jaguars, Jets, Bills, etc., have in common?
At least some of those teams will be in the market for some of quarterbacks on the move in the next few weeks. The Jets have been mentioned as a potential suitor for Jay Cutler, who was just cut by the Bears. There's probably going to be a decent market for Cutler, though. He's one of the few free agent quarterbacks who's at least had some level of success and would be worthwhile. If he doesn't go to the Jets, I can see Cutler in San Francisco. Although, Kirk Cousins wants a trade out of Washington, presumably so he can join Kyle Shanahan with the 49ers. (Sidebar: If the Redskins would stop franchising him and just give him a real contract, Cousins would probably be a lot happier with his situation.)
Speaking of the 49ers, there's little to no interest in Colin Kaepernick. This is not surprising. Kaepernick was on the verge of being cut at the end of the preseason before he pulled his little national anthem stunt and put San Francisco in a no-win situation. They didn't want him, but they couldn't cut him, because everyone would've assumed it was for reasons other than football-related ones. He's vowed to behave himself, but plenty of teams have already made it clear that they have no interest in signing him, mainly because of that crap he pulled last season.
Kaepernick will probably end up somewhere...as a backup, and only after everything shakes out with the guys teams actually want. I think Robert Griffin III, presuming he's released by Cleveland, will also take backup money. Although, if given my choice between the two, I'm taking Griffin, and it's not even close.
Likewise, there doesn't appear to be the franchise-changing quarterback like an Andrew Luck or a Cam Newton available in this year's draft. And any team that thinks there is will likely have a chance to draft that franchise quarterback again next year. As a result, I don't think we've seen the last quarterback trade. In fact, I'm almost certain there will be at least one more. And who knows? Maybe somebody will make New England an attractive enough offer for Garoppolo.
This doesn't even include the quarterbacks that are likely to move later due to injury or whatever. Remember, the Eagles didn't trade Sam Bradford to Minnesota until like a week before the season started last year. With Teddy Bridgewater set to return, don't be surprised to see the Vikings move one of them. Which one is the question. (My money's on Bridgewater.)
Other than the landing places, the other thing that remains to be seen is if any of these quarterbacks will actually be the difference for their new teams. Although, there are only a handful of situations where that seems possible/likely (Denver being the main example). What seems more likely is that the NFL's status quo will hold true to form once again in 2017. Why? Because of their quarterbacks. The most important position in football.
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