Want to play some quarterback musical chairs?
I've looked into my crystal ball to come up with some projections on starting quarterbacks for 2017. These aren't projections for the starting jobs that will have mainstays back again. Everyone knows Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson and Drew Brees will be starters, for instance. No, these are projections for the jobs in which I think there will be a new starter, or jobs that could have a new starter.
Here we go, leading off with Buffalo, Chicago and Cleveland:
New starters in 2017
Buffalo Bills
Projected 2017 starter: Mike Glennon
I'm projecting the Bills to move on from Tyrod Taylor because I don't think they see him as an $18 million-a-year franchise quarterback. They could get out of his contract after the season for a small cap hit. Taylor is 14-13 as a starter in his career, and he hasn't gotten an endorsement from the front office or Rex Ryan, who might be out after the season. Taylor's completion percentage has dropped from 63.7 percent to 60.6, and his yards per attempt are down from 8.0 to 6.8.
If Buffalo moves on, it could turn to Glennon, the former third-round pick who has started 18 games for the Buccaneers and is a free agent after the season. Glennon will be one of the top signal-callers on a weak free-agent market. This could also be a potential landing spot for Colin Kaepernick, but that would likely be on a short-term deal. I think the Bills will draft a quarterback in the middle of the first round, but the top QB prospects don't have much starting experience and will need time to develop.
Chicago Bears
Projected 2017 starter: Tony Romo
The Bears will likely part ways with Jay Cutler, and I've said for more than a month that they need to use their second-round pick to draft a quarterback and try to groom him for the future. They could also make a call to New England for Jimmy Garoppolo, offering an Alex Smith type of deal -- a 2017 No. 2 and a 2018 No. 3 that could become a No. 2. If that doesn't work, the Bears should sign Tony Romo, who could be released by the Cowboys as a post-June 1 release, which would eat up only $10.7 million of their 2017 cap.
For this to work, John Fox has to stay as coach. Romo might prefer to stay as a backup in Dallas rather than going to a rebuilding team with some coordinator taking his first chance as a head coach. Fox could sell Romo on the idea that the Bears are one draft away from being decent on defense. Then, in the second round in April, the Bears could pick a quarterback of the future while having Romo as their starter for the present.
Cleveland Browns
Projected 2017 starter: Jimmy Garoppolo
Let the bidding begin. Some wonder whether coach Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots would keep Garoppolo to be the backup for the final year of his contract in 2017 and beyond to potentially be the future of the franchise. Please. Tom Brady wants to play five more years, and the Patriots could get something in a trade this offseason for Garoppolo, who played well during Brady's suspension earlier this season. Garoppolo would likely cost the Patriots a lot of money past 2017, and New England likely couldn't afford both him and Brady.
The Browns have two things going for them: They have extra draft picks -- including the Eagles' first-round pick, which could be in the top 10 -- and they have a good trading relationship with Belichick from the Jamie Collins trade earlier this season.
To get Garoppolo, the Browns could offer a second-round pick and another second- or third-round pick in 2018, then draft a defender with their first pick, which could be No. 1 overall. If the bidding gets intense, the Browns could offer the Eagles' first-rounder to get their quarterback.
You might be wondering why the Browns don't just draft a QB with one of their first-round picks. Well, as ESPN draft analysts Mel Kiper and Todd McShay have said, this class isn't expected to have a QB worth a top-10 pick. So by trading for Garoppolo, who's only 25, Cleveland would add a talented signal-caller who already has NFL experience.
New York Jets
Projected 2017 starter: Jay Cutler
Ryan Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith will be free agents after the season, and they aren't likely to return, unless it's at a cut price as a backup. That leaves recent draft picks Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg, but I don't think either is likely to start for the Jets in 2017.
That means the Jets need a veteran signal-caller to protect themselves, and Cutler makes sense. New York could buy some time to develop a long-term answer, whether that's Petty, Hackenberg or a QB from the 2017 draft, while Cutler gets a another chance to prove himself.
San Francisco 49ers
Projected 2017 starter: Tyrod Taylor and Nick Foles
If Taylor leaves Buffalo, where could he go? One option is San Francisco, where Chip Kelly is expected to continue as the coach for a second season, even if the 49ers fire general manager Trent Baalke. Kelly likes Kaepernick, who likely will void his contract after the season, so there's a chance he could come back at the right price. But I think Taylor makes sense for Kelly and the 49ers as a quarterback with running ability whom Kelly can try to build his offense around.
Kelly could also bring in Foles, who will almost certainly be released by the Chiefs because he's owed $10.7 million. That's far too expensive for a backup. Foles would be solid insurance for the 49ers in case Taylor doesn't work out. Under Kelly in 2013, Foles had an incredible 27 touchdown passes and two interceptions with the Eagles.
Same starters in 2017
Arizona Cardinals
Projected 2017 starter: Carson Palmer
General manager Steve Keim has said that he wants back Palmer, who turns 37 this month, and Larry Fitzgerald in 2017. Although the Cardinals would like to take one more run with Palmer, they have to find a quarterback for the future. I expect them to draft a quarterback in the first three rounds in April.
Dallas Cowboys
Projected 2017 starter: Dak Prescott
Prescott is the present and future of the Cowboys. Still, Romo could return as a backup if he can't find a starting job that appeals to him. For that to happen, he would have to take a big pay cut.
Denver Broncos
Projected 2017 starter: Trevor Siemian
The Broncos invested a first-round pick in Paxton Lynch in the 2016 draft, but he wasn't ready to beat out Siemian this season, and he probably won't be able to do it next year. He was raw coming out of Memphis.
Siemian has been a good leader. He has a good arm, and he works well with coach Gary Kubiak. Lynch could still be the quarterback of the future, but that likely won't come until 2018.
Houston Texans
Projected 2017 starter: Brock Osweiler
Osweiler was benched Sunday, but it's going to be tough for the Texans to move on after this season, as I explained here. The short version: He'd cost too much against the 2017 salary cap, and the earliest they'd likely move on is before the 2018 season, when releasing him wouldn't hurt their cap.
So I think the Texans stick with Osweiler for next season and have him compete with whoever is on the roster, which could include a high draft pick.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Projected 2017 starter: Blake Bortles
Bortles has one more year on his rookie contract, and, despite his disappointing season, the Jaguars probably don't want give up on him, knowing they're going through a head-coaching change. If, for example, the Jags hire a defensive-minded head coach, he can take the year to keep the defense playing at a high level and concentrate on fixing the defense while Jacksonville gets another year to evaluate Bortles. And if Bortles doesn't improve, Jacksonville can move on and try to find its QB of the future. The Jaguars have invested a lot of time and money into developing Bortles, but he has regressed in 2016. It's hard to envision him becoming a franchise quarterback.
Miami Dolphins
Projected 2017 starter: Ryan Tannehill
Tannehill has had an up-and-down career, but another year with offensive-minded coach Adam Gase will help him. Before hurting his ACL, Tannehill had the Dolphins in the AFC wild-card race. Fortunately, Tannehill didn't need a knee reconstruction, so the pair can work together again in 2017.
Minnesota Vikings
Projected 2017 starter: Sam Bradford
The Vikings made the perfect trade knowing the extent of Teddy Bridgewater's knee injury because there's no guarantee Bridgewater will be ready for the start of the 2017 season. Bradford, who has a contract through the 2017 season, has done well with Minnesota. Injuries have crushed the Vikings' season after a 5-0 start, but no one can blame Bradford.
Washington Redskins
Projected 2017 starter: Kirk Cousins
After years of searching for a quarterback, the Redskins have finally found one in Cousins, who will either be franchised or sign a long-term contract worth around $24 million a year. Cousins is having another great season.