Selling dreams of big-name quarterback trades is easy in February, but those naps will be disrupted quickly if Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson stay home for another season. Though general managers are more equipped than ever to deal roster capital, the quarterback position can only take so much upheaval. The supply rarely meets the demand -- especially this offseason, with a lackluster QB draft class -- and some teams eventually realize what they have, or what is more readily available, isn't so bad.
That's why the free-agent quarterback market could provide some sneaky-big fireworks come March. At least 11 teams either need a starter (Saints, Commanders, Broncos, Buccaneers and Steelers), could bring in competition (Giants, Panthers, Colts and Texans) or might just be up to something (Browns and 49ers). Available passers hitting the open market will try to fill those voids as bridge options ... or maybe more. That may include a few signal-callers who have spent at least the past season out of the spotlight and in a backup role.
Here's a look at the latest with some of those passers and what people around the league are saying about them, starting with a story of surviving Chicago.
Jump to:
Trubisky | Winston | Mariota
Bridgewater | Other QB buzz
Mitchell Trubisky's reset
Trubisky toiled in the shadows for months in Buffalo, juggling all the tasks that make backups valuable: emulating Patrick Mahomes on scout team, dissecting defenses on a tablet with coaches and challenging Josh Allen to heated games of Catan between film sessions.
The way safety Jordan Poyer saw it, Trubisky was too good to be a scout-team quarterback. And after watching Trubisky layer over-route passes out of a defensive backs' range in practice, he reached a conclusion: The Bills' backup QB should still start in the league.
"One thousand percent," Poyer said.
The Bills believe he'll get that chance, and Trubisky believes he improved greatly during his one-year stint in the AFC, which deepens the intrigue for a free agent whose resolve was tested in Chicago. Trubisky's arc with the Bears is well-documented. The team's highest draft selection of the modern NFL era (No. 2 overall) made a Pro Bowl in Year 2 and was benched in Year 4. Trubisky and then-coach Matt Nagy never seemed to find synergy. Trubisky admitted to playing "robotic" at times in Chicago's offense, undermining his mobility and arm strength.
Comparing Trubisky to draftmates Deshaun Watson and Mahomes is well-worn terrain. But teams are open to the notion that Trubisky's story as a productive NFL quarterback -- he is 29-21 as a starter -- is not complete. A few NFL execs told me his traits and pedigree should result in a real opportunity. The Commanders, Panthers and Giants (reuniting him with former Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll as competition for Daniel Jones) are among spots that could work.
"I could see him going to a situation where he can be a starting option and the team drafts a quarterback," an AFC exec said. "He'll have to go out there and earn it, but there's certainly enough there where the right offense can accommodate him. The offense in Chicago was pretty rigid and on-script, and I'm not sure it suited him."
The Chicago experience left Trubisky hardened.
"I'm in a confident space right now," Trubisky said from South Florida, where he's training and expecting the birth of his first child with his wife, Hillary.
Trubisky entered 2021 free agency wanting to play in the short term but taking the long view. The two options were signing with a team that might offer a chance to play, or going somewhere to learn for a year, refine his game and enter 2022 free agency a better quarterback. A phone conversation with Daboll convinced him to pursue the latter path, and that a step back can lead to two steps forward. Daboll relayed that he experienced that in his own coaching career by not always jumping at the first chance to call plays. Daboll spent two different four-year stints with Bill Belichick in New England before becoming the Bills' offensive coordinator -- and now the Giants' head coach.
Trubisky accepted a one-year reset at $2.5 million with the Bills.
"Going to Buffalo really opened my eyes," said Trubisky, who completed 20 of 28 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown against the Bears in the preseason before playing sparingly in the regular season. "After being in Chicago for four years, there was only one way I knew how to do things. [Being] in Buffalo and [having] a different way of doing things, you learn what's possible. It helped me get back to instinctual football and using my talents rather than overthinking."
Allen was the ideal quarterback to emulate, too. In Buffalo, Allen was emboldened from Day 1. He struggled at times during his first two seasons, but the Bills recognized the ceiling. They knew Allen would take chances on big plays but believed he could strike a balance between making the right play and letting his ability take over.
Trubisky saw Allen, Daboll and quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey -- now Buffalo's offensive coordinator -- in lockstep throughout the week, from scripting plays to making gameday adjustments.
"One thing Josh showed [Trubisky] is it's OK to freelance a little bit, use your athleticism and instincts," said Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane, who agrees Trubisky is poised for another chance. "I think he will take that with him."
As Trubisky describes it, going through progressions is necessary for any quarterback, but it's also not always as simple as "1-2-3 and make the throw." Escaping the pocket and playing smart -- but not conservative -- can be just as crucial.
"You can't be afraid to make mistakes," Trubisky said. "When guys are playing free, you can be at your best. I wanted to learn how [the Bills] helped Josh, and I saw that firsthand."
Poyer and Allen were eager to talk about Trubisky, with Allen saying he "absolutely fell in love with the dude" on a personal level. Poyer calls him "one of the best teammates I've ever had."
"Mitch has been through the ringer," Allen said. "No. 2 pick, how he handled being a professional, coming into a situation where you never thought you'll be in that situation, that's not easy. But he handled it with such class."
Allen added, "The dude is an athlete. I don't think people really understand that. You give him leeway in an offense to have that mindset of, 'See it, do it, we trust you.' He's going to kill it."
Jameis Winston's recovery
Two years after a reset of his own in New Orleans, Winston is well-positioned in the free-agent QB pantheon. He sat behind Drew Brees for 2020 instead of chasing a bridge-quarterback job, then re-upped with the Saints and was productive in seven starts in 2021 before tearing his left ACL. The Saints went 5-2, while Winston produced a 14-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio, a vast improvement from his turnover-prone ways in Tampa Bay.
With the Saints keeping Sean Payton's staff together after the coach stepped away after the season, many around the league expect them to potentially bring Winston back on a new contract. Offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael knows how to use Winston and maximize his skill set. That means a lot of play-action, on which Winston has averaged 9.8 yards per dropback since 2019, the most in the NFL.
"I think they've got something there, and word is his Saints' teammates love him," said an NFL offensive coach. "The big question is what things will look like without the presence of [Payton]. He's such an elite playcaller. But that's a good staff and good team that shouldn't take much of a step back."
Winston underwent ACL surgery in November, and he's hoping to start noncontact team drills as soon as May.
Could Marcus Mariota stay out West?
If the 49ers move on from Jimmy Garoppolo, which is largely expected, they could spend money on an accomplished free-agent quarterback to pair with Trey Lance. That would give San Francisco flexibility, with the new quarterback either supporting Lance in a backup role or actually starting games if Lance needs a little more developmental time -- at a lesser cost than Garoppolo is due in 2022 ($25.5 million).
Mariota would make a lot of sense in that scenario. He would thrive off coach Kyle Shanahan's designed runs while providing experience. Mariota and Trubisky have similar backgrounds as former No. 2 picks who have had to reestablish their careers as backups with new teams. Mariota did enough to earn a fifth-year option from Tennessee, but the franchise's 2-4 start in 2019 led to him being benched in favor of Ryan Tannehill. He has spent the past two seasons in Las Vegas as Derek Carr's backup, throwing 30 passes and occasionally being used in red zone situations.
Mariota's last extended action was really good, with a 17-of-28 passing performance for 226 yards and a touchdown against the Chargers in 2020. That didn't stop Las Vegas from cutting his pay in 2021, from $10.75 million to $3.5 million plus incentives (though, to be fair, the first number was not commensurate with the league's backup QB scale). Either way, Mariota should have several options come March.
Teddy Bridgewater's outlook
Several evaluators are still bullish on Bridgewater as a bridge starter because of his accuracy and heady play. He might be the safest choice out of the group.
"From a leadership standpoint, he's really solid. The question is, does he get the journeyman label?" an NFC scout said.
Bridgewater has started for four different NFL teams since 2017, and he's potentially going on his fourth team in four years, should the Broncos not re-sign him. Denver was 7-7 when he started in 2021, but Carolina grew frustrated with Bridgewater's struggles to close out games in 2020. Bridgewater's 15-11 touchdown-to-interception ratio with the Panthers improved to 18-7 with the Broncos, but his 2021 Total QBR was 20th in the league (47.5).
Houston is a potential fit; Bridgewater could be a start-or-backup option around Davis Mills.
Some other QB notes
I'm hearing that the Texans were pleased with Tyrod Taylor's one-year stint there, so bringing him back on another one-year deal isn't out of the realm of possibility.
Some people around the league are wondering if Ryan Fitzpatrick, at age 39, might retire. He missed the past season after hip surgery, but he could fit somewhere, and he'll probably stay ready for snaps regardless.
Many around the league expect Washington to comb the big-ticket quarterback market. The Commanders will most likely look at all options and won't limit themselves.
The expectation is Carolina, at the least, brings in competition for Sam Darnold, who's basically locked into the lineup with an $18.858 million option year that's fully guaranteed.