(02-21-2022, 10:44 AM)TheO-LineMatters Wrote:

(02-21-2022, 10:40 AM)Bullseye Wrote: What is working against this dynamic is the relative glut of viable to great veteran signal callers that may be available via trade or free agency.

Traditionally, guys like Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, possibly DeShaun Watson, Garoppolo, and now possibly Kyler Murray would never hit the open market or trade market.  Now these guys and Wentz and maybe Cousin might be available. 

Before, teams like Carolina, the Giants, Denver, Washington and Pittsburgh would have little to no recourse but to wait for the draft and then compete againt teams higher up in the draft order to get their guy or wait until next year.  But with all of these vets available through trade or free agency, I think the desperation inflated demand for rookie QBs will be suppressed a bit, resulting in fewer teams looking to trade up.  I think the only teams that may trade up looking for a QB are the teams that are left without a chair when the music stops playing, and the veteran QB they were hoping for goes elsewhere.

Which is crazy, imo. Why would you get rid of a decent veteran QB this year when the QB draft class is so bad? I don't get it.

I typically agree with you.

But in the case of Watson, Rodgers and possibly Wilson and Murray, the QBs are forcing the issue.  Whereas before they were either content or resigned to stay with their original teams, they are excercizing their leverage in ways they had not before. 

Their teams are left with a horrible choice.  Either keep the QB on the roster, they refuse to play, and they are on the hood for what are considerable salaries without salary cap relief (like Houston), the player can retire, which means you only get salary cap relief from his absence from the roster but no draft picks to aid in the transition from him, or you trade an accomplished player at the most important position, without any guarantee his replacement is on the horizon or is anywhere close in quality to the guy you traded away.

If I were running those teams, I would do everything humanly possible to smooth things over with the guys like Rodgers and Wilson and Watson.  I wouldn't trade those guys unless there were absolutely no other way to move forward.  That is likely the case with Houston and Watson, but is not likely the case with Seattle and Wilson.

Conversely, if you are an otherwise good team like Washington or Pittsburgh and are only missing a QB to be a playoff contender, I'd definitely prefer to go after one of the vets as opposed to relying on a subpar class of rookies.

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