Thanks to Matthew Stafford and Tom Brady in back to back years, the NFL has watched the Super Bowl winning quarterback lift the Lombardi Trophy for their new teams. Stafford in his first year in Los Angeles after leaving Detroit and Brady moving to Tampa Bay after decades in New England. Since teams are now reaping immediate returns with the quarterback shuffle, very few cities are happy with their current quarterback situation.
It doesn’t matter if they’ve won a Super Bowl or are the reigning back to back league MVP, these are the QBs who have been rumored to be unhappy with their teams, or their teams are unhappy with them. As I said on this week’s Steeler Nation Podcast, I will list the QBs from most to least expensive and give my opinions on each.
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1) Deshaun Watson - $35M
Watson’s contract is just about as toxic as his off-field troubles. He didn’t play at all in 2021 due to 20+ allegations of sexual misconduct. Though he is only 26 years old and loaded with talent, no team will touch him until he is no longer spending time in a court room. Pair this with his current contract that pays him $35M this year then $37M, $32M, & $32M over the next 3 seasons, and we can immediately rule out Watson as a financial option for the Steelers.
2) Kirk Cousins - $35M
Cousins has fallen out of favor with Minnesota because of his inability to win consistently. At 33 years old, he just made the Pro Bowl by passing for 33 touchdowns with only 7 interceptions, but for some reason, was only 8-8 in his record. I like his age and his touchdown to interception ratio, but being a .500 quarterback is not the player I want at that price in our city that expects winners.
3) Carson Wentz - $28.29M
Wentz is a younger quarterback at 29 who is two years removed from leading the league in interceptions with 15. A change in scenery from Philadelphia to Indianapolis was great for his improvement in TD to INT ratio 27 to 7. The Colts only needed a win against Jacksonville, who held the worst record in the NFL, to make the playoffs. Wentz could not shed his bird upbringing in Philly as he laid an egg with his indecisiveness and 6 sacks. Though he allowed the Steelers to make the playoffs by losing, I’m not sure if they see Wentz as the answer to their QB problems having a line to rebuild and questions on defense. Any team taking Wenz would also inherit his $26M and $27M contract amounts in 2023 and 2024.
4) Aaron Rodgers - $27.57M
Mr. Discount Double-Check himself is the current back to back league MVP and won his only Super Bowl against our beloved Steelers, however Steeler Nation seems to be the most excited in the prospect of adding him to the roster. His on field talent is unquestioned. He’s consistently getting Green Bay deep into the playoffs, and he knows how to win. Rodgers is also the oldest QB we will discuss at 38. I don’t know if he wants to be part of an offensive line rebuild in Pittsburgh, though he would love the talent on offense with Najee Harris and Diontae Johnson both making the Pro Bowl and young. He would have athletic players like Chase Claypool and Pat Freiermuth to throw to as well. We know that Rodgers is unvaccinated, and that is his choice, however league rules mandate 10 days away from the team for all unvaccinated players. If Ben Roethlisberger was unvaccinated, he would have missed 2 games since he was found positive the Saturday before a game. This is something to consider when you expect your quarterback to play, and vaccinated players like TJ Watt can return without missing a game if they test negative. So age and vaccination status are the only things working against me being all in for the talented Aaron Rodgers.
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5) Matt Ryan - $25.75M
"Matty Ice" is a former league MVP who unfortunately blew the largest lead in Super Bowl history to watch Brady lift the trophy. Since that MVP year, his stats have diminished each season and only made the playoffs the year after their Super Bowl loss. It seems that Matty Ice has melted over time and is now a lukewarm puddle of water at 36 years old. Ryan could benefit from a change in scenery, but I don’t see him being a fit at all in Pittsburgh with his lack of mobility.
6) Jimmy Garoppolo - $25.55M
All he does is win, win, win no matter what. Jimmy G is a winner and that is unquestioned. He has a great TD to INT ratio for his career and just hit 30 years old. He could be entering the prime of his career, however I question his durability. He only has two seasons where he’s played over 10 games and only one season where he played in every game. As a trend, it does not look good to invest in a quarterback that you can’t rely on, and I couldn’t see myself pulling the trigger on him because of that.
7) Russell Wilson - $24M
Probably the most consistent quarterback we will discuss. Wilson has made the Pro Bowl every year but one since he entered the league and has only had two losing seasons. He’s been to two Super Bowls, winning one and has shown he is one of the best decision makers with the ball in his hands. He has the ability to make every throw on the field, paired with enough mobility to extend and make his own plays. With the offensive line the way it is for the Steelers, Wilson is the first quarterback we have mentioned, that I feel comfortable running the offense.
8) Derek Carr - $19.88M
This is the scenario that makes the least amount of sense to me on why Carr would be available. He competes in an incredibly tough division facing Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert twice, and out dueled the latter to get his team (and the Steelers) into the playoffs with that final overtime kick as time expired to end the 2021 regular season. So why the heck would the Davis family sour on their QB? Do they think they need a different QB to continue to compete in the AFC West? He’s 30 years old, has made the Pro Bowl three times and feels a bit like the 2022 Matt Stafford that could make a talented team even better. I like his price tag, and his competitiveness, I’m just not sold on his consistency or ability to make all the correct reads to be an elite quarterback in this league.
9) Kyler Murray - $5.49M
Now we’re talking. A dirt cheap quarterback in their rookie contract who still has a 5th year option to take, locking him up for two years. He was the Offensive Rookie of the Year and made the Pro Bowl twice in his three years in the league. He is mobile, smart, and can make every throw. He can extend plays with his feet and designs his own plays on the fly like a young Big Ben. We didn’t know there was any problem in Arizona until Murray removed everything with the Cardinals logo from all of his social media. If you’re younger and in a relationship that is souring, this is the sign that it is OVER! I don’t know if they can reconcile, but the Steelers would have to give up a lot of draft capital to acquire him. If you think Murray is the quarterback to build a Super Bowl winning team around, you make the move, but you do it at the expense of the draft picks needed to rebuild efficiently.
10) Daniel Jones - $4.19M
Also in his rookie contract with the 5th year option available, the only problem is, is he worth the 5th year option amount. He has the arm talent, he just hasn’t been able to show that he can be a reliable QB in NY and this is the city that is the hardest on QBs. Jones doesn’t seem to be a mentally tough fit in the Big Apple and because of that, I’m not sure he’d do much better in the Steel City.
11) Jalen Hurts - $1.16M
Another very young and mobile option. The fans in Philly are calling for his head for no other reason other than they are Philly fans. Though I’m not sure if the thrifty owner, Jeffery Lurie, wants to move on from his starting QB’s salary and the fact that he only costs $1.43M the following year in 2023. In his first year as a starter, Hurts threw 16 TDs with 9 INTs but added 10 TDs on the ground. He is a raw talent that still needs development, but if the Steelers are looking for a cost effective option as a mobile quarterback, Hurts could be their guy.
I understand draft picks will come into play with just about all of these options, but they no longer factor if any of these quarterbacks are released. Their teams will try and get as many draft pics as they can for their QBs, and with all things being equal, Kyler Murray is the best value and option to be the next Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback. I would be happy with Russell Wilson, Aaron Rogers, Derek Carr, or Jalen Hurts in that order, but the value and ability of the remaining quarterbacks pale to these options.
What do you say, Steeler Nation? Looking at the numbers, who is your favorite quarterback on this list? Click to comment below!
