Report News:Considering everything, let’s examine the prospects for some of the most notable passers approa…

January 25, 2024 Frost24 Cincinnati Bengals 0

Among the quarterbacks whose contracts officially expire with the opening of the new league year (March 13 at 4 p.m. ET) are Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield. Both deserve new contracts, but it’s rarely that easy, as we’ve seen. Furthermore, the circumstances surrounding the players that fill reserve roles are much less certain. The backup quarterback frequently rises to become the second-most valuable player on a club, behind only the starter, as many teams discovered in 2023.

With all of that in mind, let’s explore the outlooks for some of the most notable passers approaching free agency, listed below with the teams they were rostered by this season.

After Cousins’ season-ending Achilles injury in 2023, the Vikings went through three backup quarterbacks and ultimately found no reliable replacement. This gave them a terrible taste of what life without Cousins may entail. When you combine that lesson with the fact that Kirk Cousins’ play was maybe the only positive outcome from the Vikings’ first eight games in 2023, it’s clear how Minnesota should move forward. Re-sign Cousins for a one- or two-year contract to lock down a quarterback who was having one of his best seasons before getting hurt, and begin making serious plans for life after Cousins so you’re not left holding the bag a year or two from now.

What was the least unexpected revelation from the Divisional Round weekend? It is true that Mayfield and the Bucs are interested in reviving this partnership, as NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport first revealed in December. It is clear why both parties desire to remain together. The Bucs, an afterthought of a Tampa franchise, demonstrated they were definitely deserving of attention with a thrashing of the reigning NFC champion Eagles on Super Wild Card Weekend. Mayfield just had the best season of his career. After a difficult 2022, Mayfield seems to have grown up and shown he is ready and totally capable of leading the Bucs into their post-Tom Brady era. Indeed, it appears as though the Brady era ended years ago. Baker should be your guy now,  and if general manager Jason Licht can get a deal done, he will be for the foreseeable future.

With much promise, Anthony Richardson’s rookie season came to an abrupt end in Week 5 as a result of a shoulder injury. For most teams, that would be fatal, but not the 2023 Colts, who had competent—and occasionally even better—play from Minshew. Along with Richardson’s struggles to stay healthy in his first season, the veteran kept the Colts competitive enough to have a shot at winning their way into the playoffs in Week 18. This alone should convince Indianapolis to hold onto a reliable backup on the roster.

Unlike in the last two seasons, the Ravens didn’t need Huntley to keep them afloat late in 2023. Lamar Jackson was healthy enough to play, leaving Huntley to start just one game, an irrelevant Week 18 meeting with the Steelers. But Baltimore would be wise to keep Huntley around because of his familiarity with the team and demonstrated capability for stepping in for Jackson when needed. Any other backup wouldn’t provide quite as much of a seamless fit, at least not initially.

Rudolph became the Steelers’ best option in a desperate playoff drive after spending years deep in the team’s depth chart. It was one of the unlikeliest tales of 2023, as Rudolph played well enough to carry the team into the postseason and persuade management of his continued importance. The Steelers are very much eager in “doing further business with” Rudolph, who might potentially push Kenny Pickett in training camp in a competition Tomlin seems to embrace in 2024, as Mike Tomlin has previously informed reporters. To complete it, Rudolph and Pittsburgh need to come to a financial agreement.

 

 

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