The quarterback carousel is never really dormant because upgrading at that position is the ultimate goal for NFL franchises. You may have just broken an epic, yearslong playoff drought with one player, for example, and yet you are hiring a private investigator to decide just how bad it would be to sign a better player who is under investigation for more than 20 separate accounts of harassment and assault. You know how it goes.
It is a cutthroat business out there, which is why it may surprise you to see some of the names on this list. But it shouldn’t. The Packers moved on from Aaron Rodgers after years of passive aggression. Rodgers is one of the greatest players in the history of the franchise. The lifespan of an NFL player and his relationship with the team he plays for, like even the best marriage, is full of tests.
I think a lot of these players will end up staying where they are, because above-average quarterback play is precious. Aside from the very top of the 2024 draft class, which we’ll address below, a lot of these teams don’t have an obvious upgrade save for a round of musical chairs. In the case of Jimmy Garoppolo in Las Vegas or Derek Carr in New Orleans, we’ll see how much more valuable it is to participate in said game of musical chairs versus going the route of Atlanta, Washington or San Francisco and investing more resources into a mid- or late-round pick.
