There’s a surprisingly high number of solid free agent quarterbacks available this offseason if you’re not looking for a guy to come in and save your franchise. Those guys are already gone. What you do have are guys who can come in off the bench and win games and two guys that could start.
Before I get to the list, I want to talk about a name I left off it; Johnny Manziel. Manziel, physically, is more talented than all these guys. If he could ever get his head out of his ass, he could have a tremendous career. But he hasn’t and doesn’t appear to want to. So onward!
Charlie Whitehurst, Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts
2015: 50 completion percentage, 150 yards, one interception, Age 33
Whitehurst didn’t make a start last season, but he showed up in games for two different teams, the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts. Whitehurst’s journeyman status has been well-earned since he was drafted in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. Whitehurst has started nine games in his career with a record of 2-7.
Now all that probably doesn’t set the world on fire, but Whitehurst isn’t supposed to be a starter. He’s a back up and a solid one. The year he actually had a full camp and was called to start on the most (five games and he played in seven for the Titans in 2014), Whitehurst put up solid numbers. He had a 56.8 completion percentage, threw for 1,326 yards, seven touchdowns and just two interceptions. Best fits: Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions
T.J. Yates, Quarterback, Houston Texans
2015: 49.1 completion percentage, 370 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, Age 29
Yates is another solid, career back-up that’s found his way onto the market again. He’s played for two teams in his day, the Houston Texans and one season with the Atlanta Falcons. He was actually the first quarterback in Texans’ history to win a playoff game. He’s started nine games including the playoffs and has a solid 5-4 record.
Yates is still a cheap guy. He’s never made more than he did last season and he still didn’t hit a million bucks. He pulled in a career-high $813,235. He could be added to a roster for probably $200,000 less than that and give a team a little security behind their starter. Best fits: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants
Matt Flynn, Quarterback, New Orleans Saints
2015: No stats. Never played a down, Age 30
Flynn is pretty famous at this point for getting signed and cut or traded almost immediately and the guy gets a bum deal. Not financially, mind you. While Flynn may have been tossed around the league like a rag dolls, he’s cleaned up in the bank account department, pocking $19.222 million in his eight years in the league.
Two teams have signed Flynn to big money contracts, the Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders, only to either put him on the bench or cut him outright. Flynn seems to regularly end up back in Green Bay and always plays well there. In 2013, after getting cut by the Raiders and the Buffalo Bills, Flynn re-signed with the Packers after Aaron Rodgers got hurt. He led them to a 2-2 record, completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 1,146 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions. Best fits: Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts
Josh Freeman, Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts
2015: 53.6 completion percentage, 149 yards, one touchdown, one interception, Age 28
Josh Freeman has gotten a raw deal. Now, saying that about a guy that’s made $28.328 million in his career may seem silly, but just look at the facts. Freeman was one of the hottest young quarterbacks in the league back in 2009-2010 and led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 10-6 record in 2010. The wheels fell off for the team in 2011 and Freeman had an off year, but still put up solid numbers.
Then Greg Schiano happened. Schiano is one of the worst coaches in NFL history and that’s counting some of the turds the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins have hired over the last decade. Schiano hated Freeman and after the young quarterback’s best season as a pro, cut him and bad mouthed him all over the league. Freeman has all the NFL tools. He needs to land with a team and stay there for a while, learn the offense, and be handed the keys. Best fits: New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Quarterback, New York Jets
2015: 59.5 completion percentage, 3,95 yards, 31 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, Age 33
Of course the top quarterback out there is Ryan Fitzpatrick and we all know that he’ll eventually sign with the Jets. But for now he’s in the wind and any team can sign him. Only no one in the NFL wants to offer him the $18 million a year he wants.
He doesn’t want the $12 million the Jets are offering to play placeholder, but the thing is, Fitzpatrick was supposed to be the back up to Geno Smith last season until team MVP IK Enemkapali broke Smith’s jaw. The Jets payed him $3.25 million last season. Yes, he played better than that but Fitzpatrick, as a Harvard grad, should know the definition of the word “outlier.” Best fits: New York Jets. That’s it.
