Fun NFL Free Agency Quarterback Fits for 2020
Chaos is always more fun than predictability. When you know something will inevitably happen, there’s no surprise or mystique or excitement about the event; it just is. When the unexpected occurs, however, that’s where things get interesting.
My wife and I will never agree with each other on this. I am an improvisational person in life, taking things as they come and responding in the moment; she is a planner and structures things around her in order to account for all possibilities ahead of time. Whereas the latter approach leads to more surety, more security in knowing what will occur, the former definitely gives the opportunity for fun to blossom (and anxiety occasionally too).
That’s why I chafe at the analysis we hear every year around this time for impending NFL free agents. I understand that the teams would be insane to let franchise cornerstone players like Dak Prescott, Derrick Henry, or Drew Brees walk and join a competitor, and so the most likely scenario is a re-signing or the franchise tag. But wouldn’t it be exciting if they didn’t do that?
So, I’ve decided to share the chaos in my brain with you in this article. These are the 2020 NFL free agency fits that I think are the most fun and interesting – not necessarily the most likely or best.
Drew Brees to the Los Angeles Chargers
Drew Brees was once a member of the Los Angeles (then-San Diego) Chargers, but was unceremoniously dumped after suffering multiple tears in his throwing shoulder. It’s understandable that the Chargers franchise was wary of investing too much if Brees couldn’t regain his throwing ability, but the writing was already on the wall when they drafted his successor in E̵l̵i̵ ̵M̵a̵n̵n̵i̵n̵g̵ Philip Rivers the year prior. As we all know, Brees has gone on to lead the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl victory, six division titles, five All-Pro appearances, and five 5,000-yard passing seasons.
While Brees is all-but-certain to re-sign with the Saints and make one more run at a second ring, it would be an interesting homecoming for him to return to the Chargers now that his one-time replacement Rivers has dumped the franchise himself. The fit also doesn’t seem terrible, with strong possession receivers like Keenan Allen and Hunter Henry to help Brees in the quick-pass, short game that his aging skill-set now demands (6.7 average intended Air Yards in 2019; fourth-lowest among 39 qualifying quarterbacks per NFL.com). Who needs revenge games when you could have a homecoming tour instead?
Dak Prescott to the New Orleans Saints
This is a move I’m almost certain won’t happen, but if we’re shuffling the deck, let’s shuffle the deck. Dak Prescott has been a revelation for the Dallas Cowboys since they drafted him in the fourth round in 2016: when given talent around him, Prescott has dazzled as a passer (throwing for 4,902 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2019) and is mobile in the pocket to boot. Despite taking on a larger passing workload every year in the league, his Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt (ANY/A on Pro Football Reference) has steadily improved as well.
Aside from the fact that the Saints need a quarterback of the now with Brees leaving in this alternate reality chaos timeline I’m cooking up (sorry, Taysom Hill truthers), Prescott is just 26 years old and would be the perfect franchise quarterback to build a team’s foundation upon. Which is why the Cowboys would be insane if they let him walk. Oh, and Dak is from Louisiana, playing college ball at Mississippi State; they’d worship him in the Superdome.
Tom Brady to the Miami Dolphins
Tom Brady is the definition of New England Patriots football, having spent 20 years developing from a sixth-round pick into the leader of six Super Bowl victories and 17 divisional titles in that time. Bostonians can refer to him as “Tom” or “Tommy” without anyone questioning who they mean. In the Northeastern U.S., he is legend. But the 42-year old’s contract is fully expiring for the first time ever at the end of this season, and the Patriots may look to re-tool their roster so they can figure out life after the Brady Era.
Enter the Miami Dolphins, who would have a Hall of Fame quarterback on their roster for the first time since the Clinton administration. Sure, Ryan “Fitzmagic” Fitzpatrick did well enough as a stopgap while they try to either develop the withered husk of Josh Rosen’s career or draft a franchise quarterback (likely Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, who is injured and would likely need to sit out his rookie season), but Brady would bring much more veteran expertise and leadership, as well as put butts in seats for what will likely be another rough year for the ‘Phins. Plus, you know, #RevengeGames.
The other fun option here would be if Brady signed with the San Francisco 49ers, his hometown team, and backed up his former backup in Jimmy Garoppolo. I’m very here for those quarterback controversies.
Philip Rivers to the Tennessee Titans
Rivers has already appeared in this article, so I won’t belabor his backstory. The high and low of it is that he has spent 16 years with the Chargers, having spent much of the time with the entire team on his back as he willed them to only a handful of vaguely competitive years with often lacking talent around him. Now, however, he reaches free agency for the first time and it seems like L.A. Jr. is content to let him walk, to the point where Rivers and his wife moved the family (no small task) to Florida, near where they both grew up (Decatur, Alabama).
Many have speculated that the move to Florida is a harbinger of Rivers signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who could also have a quarterback vacancy in the offing, but I’d argue that if Rivers prefers to his work and personal life to be close together, there’s no NFL team closer to Decatur, Alabama, than the two-hour drive up I-65 to Nashville, home of the Tennessee Titans. If Rivers wants a ring, this is the team with an impending opening at the position with the best shot (other than the Patriots), with talented young receivers, a stout offensive line, and — you know — Derrick Henry.
Cam Newton to the Carolina Panthers
Don’t do this, Carolina Panthers. You’ve been hinting at a divorce with one of the most fun quarterbacks in the league for months now, touting a mediocre rebound guy like Kyle Allen as “The One” (or at least “The One Who’s Here Right Now”) and I just can’t stand to watch you self-sabotage anymore. You deserve love, Panthers, and when Cam Newton was fully healthy and you stood by him, we gave you that love. In his most recent full (ish) season in 2018, Cam had his highest career completion rate (67.9%)! He was running less like you asked, and focusing on his passing prowess. He’ll do what will make you happy; he’s shown that.
When “SuperCam” is at full powers, he makes for an incredibly fun viewing experience as both a passer and a rusher. In new head coach Matt Rhule’s offense, that dual-threat ability will be on full display: play-action, spread concepts to help Cam avoid getting obliterated (again), and – of course – the run-pass option (RPO). Cam is the quarterback available most suited for this new offensive scheme, and it would be a shame if Carolina cut him.
Jameis Winston to the Dallas Cowboys
No one thought it could be done, but then Jameis Winston went out and threw 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in 2019. He also tossed a career-high 5,109 passing yards thanks to head coach Bruce Arians’s aggressive vertical passing attack, and due to his success, if I were to guess the most logical landing spot for Winston, I’d say he probably returns to Tampa Bay. But this is my chaotic fun free agent fantasy, so I’m moving him.
He’s going to the Cowboys, and I think that would both be fun and make sense. Remember how Michael Irvin and Terrell Owens’s big personalities played in the huge market of the Cowboys? Remember how many players with questionable decision-making and personality problems owner Jerry Jones has deemed worth it because of their talent? I think Jameis would be perfectly fit with the franchise, and maybe offensive coordinator Kellen Moore could actually get him to calm the turnover machine approach down a bit to boot.
Teddy Bridgewater to the New England Patriots
I loved Teddy Bridgewater coming out of college. To this day, I refuse to care about how skinny his knees are or that he wears two gloves; I will always love him. The only problem is that fate doesn’t share my affection for the baby-faced passer: after taking small steps forward in his first two years in the league, Bridgewater suffered a horrific knee injury in a 2016 preseason practice and many thought he might never take another step again. But he recovered, was signed to a backup contract, then traded to the Saints, where he made his first NFL start in three years. Then, after a thumb injury to starter Drew Brees this season, Bridgewater took the helm for five contests. He compiled a passing line that – prorated to 16 starts – would come out to 4,429 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He’s still got it.
And what better team to go to than the Patriots, who would certainly take essentially a higher-upside version of their franchise star Brady (one who’s 15 years younger too)? Considering Bridgewater’s injury history, as well as his proficiency at operating out of a quick-release, precision-based spread offense, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels could work wonders with “Tommy Boy” 2.0. The Patriots dynasty shall never die.
Marcus Mariota to the Chicago Bears
The football world flipped on its head when Mariota was benched midway through the Tennessee Titans’ floundering first six games of the 2019 season. They didn’t riot because Mariota is a former second overall pick, however; it was because former Dolphins first-round bust and reclamation project Ryan Tannehill immediately became the most efficient quarterback in the league. All of a sudden, we realized the Titans weren’t bad — Mariota was. It wasn’t that he was particularly inefficient; it was that he wasn’t efficient enough to energize an aggressively old-school, run-heavy offense that demanded playing from ahead in order to win.
With a similar team situation to Tennessee but wide receivers that fit his spread and possession style better, Mariota’s 66% completion rate and 5.80 ANY/A since the start of the 2018 season don’t look horrible in a Chicago Bears offense. His athleticism would play very well for head coach Matt Nagy to get creative with, though his12% sacked rate over the last two seasons might sustain with that offensive line. Still, what I wouldn’t give for a quarterback controversy with two former second overall picks that are athletic and make weird decisions on the field...
