Perry: Predicting the starting QBs for all 32 NFL teams in 2021
From Deshaun Watson requesting a trade to Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions agreeing to part ways, all signs point toward an eventful NFL offseason ahead.Before the QB madness begins, we thought it’d be a good exercise to try to predict all 32 Week 1 starters in the NFL for 2021. Which teams will draft their QB of the future? What kinds of trades could we see in the coming months?Here's what Phil Perry sees the league looking like next season.
Don't overthink it. Lawrence, if he hits, could be an even more valuable asset moving forward than Deshaun Watson (who ESPN speculated could be traded for No. 1 overall) given the price associated with each.
Patriots Talk Podcast: Cowherd joins Curran to talk Brady, Pats
This would be unwise. Darnold has been one of the worst quarterbacks in football recently, even accounting for his horrid supporting cast. But the new coaching staff seems to believe in him. And by trading No. 2 overall to the Lions, they could get a haul of picks in return.
The BYU product might have the most arm talent in this year's draft. And that's saying something for a draft that includes Lawrence. The Lions will have to trade up from No. 7 to No. 2 to get him, but they'll have the capital to do it after making a big trade before draft weekend.
There are so many quarterbacks who could potentially be on the move, it wouldn't surprise me if the best offer the Lions receive was Indy's first pick in 2021, which slots in at No. 21 overall.
Curran: So what do Belichick and Stafford think of one another?
Watson has all the power here. His no-trade clause will allow him to be dealt wherever he wants, essentially. Miami makes all kinds of sense. They're built to win now. No income taxes. Nice weather (aside from when he travels to Buffalo, New England and New Jersey). Miami sends Tua Tagovailoa and two firsts to Houston in this scenario.
The Texans are in tear-down rebuild mode. Getting a potential starting quarterback on a cheap rookie contract, one part of the package coming their way for Watson, is critical.
Status quo here. He'll work well in Arthur Smith's offense, which has similarities to the offense Ryan used to catapult himself to the league's MVP award. Atlanta plans for the future in this scenario, though, drafting North Dakota State's Trey Lance.
Last year's No. 1 overall choice will be back from injury in 2021. Nothin' doin' here.
Wentz is still on the books for boatloads of money. The Eagles have to figure out a way to fix him. There's no other option. Plus, general manager Howie Roseman won't allow there to be any other option.
The rookie out of Ohio State will be brought aboard with the thought in mind that he could sit for one season behind incumbent Teddy Bridgewater. But he'll win the gig. He has too much talent. The team is rebuilding. It makes too much sense for Carolina to go this route.
You had your chance, Drew Lock. Welcome to clipboard duty. The Broncos have a little bit of money to play with in free agency, and they'll throw a little Winston's way. He's still an interception waiting to happen. But he's also capable of generating explosive plays with a young, talented receiving group.
The Cowboys will figure out a way to keep their face of the franchise in Dallas. It may cost them more than they were hoping, but doing anything else would mean Jerry Jones' team runs the risk of becoming irrelevant. Not happening.
There are better options out there. Sure. But the Giants took Jones at No. 6 overall a couple of years ago. He has shown flashes of competency. They're rolling with him.
There's a Football Team reunion in the Bay Area. Kyle Shanahan gets his guy by trading with the Vikings. Minnesota, currently projected to be over the cap for 2021, clear about $11 million in space.
Inevitable? Not exactly. But the Niners haven't exactly committed to Garoppolo. And it shouldn't require a massive haul to bring him back, particularly with the quarterback market so flush with moving parts. If the best veteran choices are Stafford for a first or Garoppolo for a second, Garoppolo makes sense. The Patriots will have to keep their eyes peeled for The Next Guy in drafts to come, though.
The Vikings will have ammo in the draft after dealing away Cousins. But they could potentially sit at No. 14 overall and take Jones, who might just be a cheaper version of Cousins -- which is extremely valuable from a team-building perspective.
Curran: Should Pats be wary if Jones sits out Senior Bowl?
Next year might not treat Herbert all that kindly. There's probably a regression coming given how well he performed under pressure. But he's the guy.
No changes here any time soon. The head-coaching spot? If 2021 doesn't go well, that could be another story altogether.
Hard to move on from a guy after he put together a borderline top-10 season in 2020. The Raiders make their commitment to Carr clear in this scenario by trading his backup.
He could be available for a mid-round pick. He's under contract for just $10 million next season. He was positively electric in brief action in 2020. He fits Sean McVay's scheme perfectly. And the Rams needed to find cap money. Swapping out Goff (more on him in a second) for Mariota seems reasonable.
The Football Team is in a bad spot. They're picking too late in the draft to land one of the top quarterbacks in the draft. They do have money, though. And they'll need it to take on Jared Goff's base salary for next season. The Rams will clear over $12 million in cap space by trading him.
Bad break for Chicago here. In this exercise they ended up in play for Garoppolo, the hometown kid, and missed out. They signed Mitch Trubisky to a one-year prove-it deal, and they signed Ryan Fitzpatrick to a one-year minimum deal. (No he hasn't played for them yet.) Fitzpatrick wins the competition in camp.
Sticking with what has worked the last couple years. No choice, really. They just signed him to a massive deal.
Still one of the best quarterbacks in the game. Seattle and Wilson are in it together for the long haul.
One last go-round for a player who physically looks like he doesn't have anything left to give. His cap number has to come way down, and he said recently he's open to re-working his deal to achieve that end.
He may get a little salty when someone suggests the Browns should get Watson, but there's no reason for him to. The No. 1 overall pick from 2018 played well enough in 2020 to be Cleveland's guy in 2021.
The team is talking about locking up Jackson for the foreseeable future. He's the player around which they've designed their entire offense. He's locked in.
You know Sean Payton loves him some Hill. But is that the only guy he wants at the position? How about Cam Newton heading to New Orleans to compete with the presumed 2021 starter? That's a competition Newton might see as winnable. Playing for a smart coach, in a dome, even on a low-money deal, might be enough for the former Patriots quarterback.
As cryptic as his post-NFC Championship comments were, he's not going anywhere this offseason.
Next in line for a Patrick Mahomesian big-money deal?
"Quarenta y cinco." Remember that? It was the Instagram comment he left on ESPN's caption reading, "Tom Brady says he's still motivated to keep playing, but he knows he can't play forever." Even if he wins Super Bowl LIV, he's not going anywhere.
Curran: Brady's last Patriotic duty? Defend the wall vs. KC
Easiest prediction on the list. Safe to say, after signing for half-a-billion, he's Kansas City's guy.
