With the Cleveland Browns announcing they’d reached their limit in Johnny Football-ness, former first-round pick and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel will join an already pretty decent free agent market for quarterbacks. It’s rare for this many starting caliber quarterbacks to hit the market at one time, but each of these guys brings with him some baggage and that, more than anything, explains why they find themselves unemployed.
If you’re a regular reader then you’ll know why Kirk Cousins isn’t on this list. If not, thanks for stopping in. The Redskins won’t let Cousins leave the district so you can go ahead and mark him off. The rest of these guys will all be up for grabs. So here’s part one of the best available quarterbacks in free agency.
Sam Bradford, Philadelphia Eagles
2015: 65 percent completions, 3,725 yards, 19 touchdowns, 14 interceptions
With Doug Pederson taking over the Eagles, he’ll give Bradford a good solid look before cutting him loose. Ultimately, though, Bradford is going to try to get at least $18 million a year to keep and the team may not want to put in that kind of investment when they’ve got a nice crop of rookie quarterbacks coming out in the NFL draft. Bradford’s season was decent and on par with his other healthy seasons, but it wasn’t spectacular and ended without a trip to the postseason again. There could be a team and a coach out there that could get the most out of Bradford and, hell, Pederson could be that guy. But Bradford won’t be franchised and he won’t be re-signed before free agency hits so he’ll get a chance to hear a pitch from everybody. And then there’s Bradford’s injury issues, which may or may not be behind him. Any team signing him is rolling the dice on that as well.
Where he should end up: It’s hard to tell because Bradford’s starting price will be high and this rookie crop is going to get into his way. If Bradford is willing to sign an incentive-laden deal with a lower base salary. If Bradford is willing to deal, he could end up on a contender like the New York Jets or the Buffalo Bills. If Bill O’Brien is feeling the heat in Houston, he may make a push for Bradford too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZTc0nYgBj4
Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins
2015: Did not play
There’s the dog house, then there’s whatever kind of house Robert Griffin III put himself in with the Washington Redskins over the last couple of years. Griffin was much more successful as a Subway pitch man than he was a quarterback in Washington and was finally supplanted this season by a guy that was drafted almost as an afterthought to serve as his career back-up. RG3’s career is on the rocks, to say the very least, and he’s going to need to make a few shrewd decisions if he wants to save it. And the frustrating thing about Griffin is, he could.
Griffin is as smart as any player that’s ever played the position, but he’s pig-headed. He doesn’t think his play is the problem, but “haters.” Presumably he’s not counting the playbook as a “hater,” but he should. If he would have just mastered it, he wouldn’t be out of a job today.
Where he could end up: Griffin’s top end is so high a team in desperate need for a quarterback might take a chance on him. He won’t command a huge price. Certainly he’d be cheaper than Bradford and somebody who likes a more freelancing style of QB (like Rex Ryan, for instance) might take a chance on RG3. The best thing for him though is to sign with an established team with an established veteran quarterback. He needs to learn the position as a pro, something he’s not let himself do as of today. If he wants to have a career at all he’ll sign with a team like the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints or Pittsburgh Steelers.
