An annual tradition is upon us, and I'm not talking about the NCAA tournament. Nope, it's the quarterback carousel that accompanies every NFL offseason, and it's starting to spin faster as the draft draws nearer.
There's a quarterback supply and demand issue in the NFL, leaving a bucket of teams searching for an answer -- or at least an upgrade -- each offseason. The epicenter of the quarterback carousel has been the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos, who recently acquired Mark Sanchez in a trade after Peyton Manning opted for retirement and Brock Osweiler signed a deal with the Houston Texans.
Sanchez was a logical trade target for Denver; he was buried on the depth chart in Philadelphia and the cost to acquire him wasn't prohibitive.
Below is a look at five more quarterback trade targets, ranked in terms of value based on ability and price point.
1. Mike Glennon, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Glennon has just a year remaining on his rookie contract, opening the door to him leaving in free agency next offseason. With Jameis Winston under center, Tampa Bay won't overextend itself financially to keep Glennon around. If the team wants to extract some value now, it could add draft capital to address its defensive needs.
It should be noted, however, that if Glennon were to walk in free agency next year, Tampa Bay would likely receive a compensatory pick in 2018. A decision now would expedite the process and give the Bucs a bit more ability to control the framework of the compensation. Glennon was a part-time starter during his first two pro seasons, passing for 29 touchdowns to 15 interceptions in the pre-Winston era. He's a big, strong-armed passer who turned 26 in December.
Tampa Bay didn't select him as a career backup: It believed he had a chance to become the team's starter. The promise Glennon showed plus his potential upside tied to his contract helped the Bucs place first in our backup quarterback situation rankings at the beginning of the last season.
2. AJ McCarron, Cincinnati Bengals
Andy Dalton began his pro career with 77 consecutive starts for the Bengals and played the best football we've seen from him in 2015. He's an ascending player on a long-term contract (through 2020). McCarron was drafted to be a fill-in starter when needed, but with Dalton back healthy, McCarron's spot on the depth chart has been reaffirmed as a backup.
Few teams focus their efforts as much on the draft as the Bengals, and McCarron has two years remaining on his deal and enough positive tape available for teams to understand his upside. The Bengals used a fifth-round pick on McCarron in 2014. If they could flip him for a second- or third-rounder just two years later, that'd be a heckuva return on their investment.
3. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
Kaepernick has been the focus of speculation with San Francisco willing to move him and teams reportedly interested (Denver and Cleveland among them). It has been an odd career arc for Kaepernick, 28, who came within yards of helping San Francisco win the Super Bowl back in the 2012 season before being relegated to a backup to Blaine Gabbert in 2015.
It's important to remember this: Football coaches are confident by nature. It's incumbent in that profession, as they must believe in their schemes and ability to develop players. So even though Kaepernick is far from perfect as a player, any coach who acquires him would appreciate the traits that made him so electric in 2012 and 2013 (uncommon athleticism, powerful arm, innovation outside of the pocket) and not simply focus on the obvious hurdles he must overcome (accuracy and touch among them).
4. Brian Hoyer, Houston Texans
Recency bias is doing Hoyer no favors, as he had -- frankly -- one of the worst quarterback performances in postseason history, throwing four interceptions and completing just 44.1 percent of his passes in a loss to Kansas City in January. That, however, was the only game all season in which Hoyer threw multiple interceptions, as he totaled just seven in 369 attempts (a 1.9 percent interception rate is a very reasonable figure). And Hoyer has a non-guaranteed salary of just $4 million for 2016, the final year of his contract.
He isn't the quarterback you're acquiring to carry your roster to the playoffs and make a deep run. He is a steady enough presence that a team with strength elsewhere on the roster should consider him. (He's not the long-term answer in Los Angeles, but is he decidedly worse than Case Keenum?)
5. Zach Mettenberger, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee's quarterback plan is in focus already: Marcus Mariota is the centerpiece of the franchise, while Matt Cassel was added to serve as a veteran backup (he got a one-year deal from Tennessee). Mettenberger's value to Tennessee as a third-string quarterback with a second-year player entrenched as the starter is minimal, but he might be more intriguing to a team looking for a developmental backup.
The tools you like with him are apparent: physical stature, strong arm, willingness to stand tall in the pocket. There's plenty of room for improvement with Mettenberger, and although Philip Rivers signed a lucrative four-year extension just before last season began and Kellen Clemens was recently re-signed, Mettenberger might be a sensible target for the Chargers. Offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt was part of the brain trust that selected Mettenberger in 2014 and he fits the physical profile of Whiz's preferred quarterback. The price tag wouldn't likely be more than a late-round pick.