Speculation n’at: Quarterbacks Edition

The Steelers have two veteran quarterbacks on their roster as backups. Both of them have contracts expiring. We all know how well Leftwich played last season when he came in as a reserve, and he has said he enjoyed his time here and would like to stay.

But let’s be realistic. There are teams out there that have the cap space to offer him a huge contract to be a starter. In all likelihood, he takes the money and the starting job elsewhere.

So who are these candidates in the Quarterback market?

Quarterbacks available on the free agent market: Kurt Warner, Matt Cassel, Byron Leftwich, Jeff Garcia, Charlie Batch, Kerry Collins, Rex Grossman

There are at least seven teams out there that are in immediate need of a quarterback:

• Tampa Bay is rumored to be parting ways with Jeff Garcia. Tampa also has a LOT of cap room.
• The New York Jets are in QB limbo right now with Brett Favre’s retirement. However, they don’t have the cap room to go after any big name free agents.
• Besides Aaron Rodgers, the NFC North teams have a big question mark behind center. The Bears may have found a short-term answer with Kyle Orton, but anyone who thinks he is a long-term solution is kidding themselves. Likewise, the Vikings are in a similar situation with Tavaris Jackson. The Lions, as we have already illustrated in our draft preview, need help everywhere. Detroit just restructured Dante Culpepper’s contract, but that doesn’t take them off the QB market.
• The new administration in San Francisco says they are comfortable with Shaun Hill for right now, but that could change if the right type of player comes on the market.
• Similarly, Scott Pioli has to make a decision in Kansas City if Tyler Thigpen is the Quarterback of the future (or at least next year) or if the team wants to move in another direction. Injury-prone Brodie Croyle is on the last year of his contract, and if his past performances (or lack thereof) are any indication, the Cheifs are, without a doubt, looking for a long-term answer at quarterback.

The first market for quarterbacks is the free agent market. Let’s cross some names off that list right away.

• Kurt Warner is not on the market. He’s either retiring or staying with Arizona. If he does retire, Arizona will likely give Matt Leinart a shot, which means Arizona will likely stay out of the quarterback market….for this season.
• After their success last year, I really can’t see Tennessee letting Kerry Collins get away. Collins isn’t a prolific passer and really doesn’t have the arm to succeed in a system other than Tennessee’s. Minnesota who runs a very similar offense to the Titans, already has a veteran figure in Gus Frerotte, so don’t look for them to make a play for Collins.
• The Steelers will likely re-sign Charlie Batch because they want to keep a veteran backup on the roster.
• After his struggles in Chicago, it’s not likely anyone is going to give Grossman a big contract to be a starting quarterback.

This leaves Cassel, Leftwich, and Garcia on the free agent market.

Tampa has the resources to sign a quarterback to a large contract and still make some other moves to improve their roster, which resembles the enrollee list at a retirement home. Tampa’s new coaching staff will have to make some decisions, namely if they want a proven vet with a huge arm that can stretch the field (Leftwich) or a relative unknown that had one good season (Cassel).

If I was to make a prediction, I would say that Leftwich will find himself starting for the Bucs next season.

Since New England placed a franchise tag on Cassel, he will come with a huge contract obligation. This will likely mean a team will have to give up a #1 pick to get him. Two teams in the league have multiple first-round picks: Philadelphia and Detroit.

Detroit could use the first overall pick to take a franchise tackle and use trade away their second pick for Cassel. Or they could use their pick to draft Stafford or Sanchez.

So here’s where everything breaks down. The Jets have been major players in the free agent market the past few years, and it has left them in a cap position where they are not able to make a big splash this year, a year when they need a quarterback.

So what do the J-E-T-S do? If either Detroit or Kansas City elects not to draft a quarterback, the Jets and 49ers may get into a bidding war to trade up to draft whichever quarterback (Sanchez or Stafford) is not selected. Depending on who they make the trade with, there could be ripple effects down the rest of the draft board (for example, if they trade with Seattle, who most mock drafts predict will take Michael Crabtree, then Crabtree could fall to Cincinnati or Oakland).

The wild card in this whole market is the Cleveland Browns. Brady Quinn had success last year, which means that Derrick Anderson is now a tradable commodity. Everyone in Cleveland knows Quinn is the future, and if the right offer comes across the table, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them move Anderson.