The 2022 NFL offseason has not been boring.
The league’s quiet Sundays have given way to a flurry of trade and free agent action that have moved big name players into new homes and given franchises new hope in their quest for a Super Bowl run. Russell Wilson left Seattle for Denver. Aaron Rodgers returned to Green Bay, but his top target Davante Adams is now a Raider.
Tom Brady gave up football for 40 days. The Browns traded for Deshaun Watson and made us all feel gross about it. Matt Ryan was traded to the Colts for peanuts and was replaced by Marcus Mariota which, it’s the Falcons, whatever. Carson Wentz went to Washington and cosplayed as a hot dog in his debut press conference.
This is all just through eight days of free agency. There are plenty of moves left to be made before we even get to this year’s draft, which will dump a solid crop of pass rushers, cornerbacks, and wide receivers onto league rosters and further dent the value of the veterans currently languishing on the open market.
What that draft class doesn’t have is a dead-set group of difference-making quarterback prospects. That’s highlighted an already-prioritized position, leading to the landscape-shifting deals above and putting more pressure on a veteran group of passers to come through for desperate franchises (see Wentz and the Commanders above for reference).
This carousel is not done spinning. Teams like the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks are still in need of starting quarterbacks. To whom will they turn? We know the quarterbacks who are still available as free agents seven days into the league’s free agent period. Who’s available via trade? And who could be with the right offer?
