Quarterbacks Dominate Free Agency

Added on Jul 26, 2011 by Scott in

NFL

Now that the billionaires and millionaires are done bickering over dollar signs and decimal points, it’s time to get down to the business of football. In what promises to be a hectic four or five days, NFL free agency officially kicked off this morning. Players can’t be inked until Friday at 6pm, but all 32 teams can negotiate trades and free agent signings. As always, quarterbacks will be a hot commodity with as many as six or seven former starters relocating. Let’s take a look at who might go where.

Kevin Kolb – Hard to believe a guy who’s made less than ten starts in his career is one of the most talked about signal callers available. Most pundits have already penciled him in as the new man in Arizona, which makes a lot of sense. The Cardinals are desperate for a competent starter after last year’s carousel of fools. They have to keep Larry Fitzgerald happy, so Kolb seems like a good fit. Other possible landing spots are Seattle and the longshot, Miami. Of course, Philly could retain his services if they can’t find a decent backup.

Kyle Orton – With the Tim Tebow era expected to be unveiled in Denver, Orton will be looking for a new gig. He tossed 59 touchdowns during the last three years, is an experienced system quarterback and more proven than Kolb, Vince Young and Tarvaris Jackson. He’d be an ideal choice for Miami where he would be reunited with Brandon Marshall. Seattle is also a prime candidate with Matt Hasselbeck seemingly on the way out.

Matt Hasselbeck – Speaking of the soon-to-be-ex-Seahawk, Hasselbeck has Super Bowl experience and a spate of durability issues. He last started 16 games in 2007, but as he showed against the Saints this past January, he can still chuck the rock when healthy. Tennessee, Miami, San Francisco and Minnesota all need a veteran leader under center. At 35, he’s not a longterm answer, but he’d make an excellent one-year stopgap for either the Titans or Vikings.

Vince Young – Does anyone want a thin-skinned malcontent with suspect passing skills? Probably not as a number one guy, but VY does bring value as a number two. Will he be happy on the bench? At this point, he has little room to complain. The right coaching could resurrect his career, but until Young matures on and off the field, he’s more trouble than he’s worth.

Donovan McNabb – McNabb’s star has fallen so far he might find himself out of a job in 2011. If Minnesota or Washington don’t want him, there aren’t many teams expressing interest in a six-time Pro Bowler with a Super Bowl appearance on his resume. He looked out of sorts in D.C. last season and besides a big arm, his skills are limited outside of the Eagles offense. A backup job won’t do much to strengthen his pride, but he’s quickly running out of options.

Carson Palmer – The Bengals are playing hardball with Palmer. He wants out, but president Mike Brown isn’t budging. The team drafted Andy Dalton in the second-round of April’s draft, but he’s far from being ready to assume the controls. Palmer has threatened to retire if he’s not traded. If the Bengals want anything in return for their former franchise quarterback, they’d be smart to unload him. However, the Bengals aren’t fond of doing the smart thing.

Alex Smith – Smith wants yet another shot to prove himself as the Niners starter. New head coach Jim Harbaugh might have other ideas. A veteran like Hasselbeck would provide an instant upgrade to a team poised to win the NFC West. As for Smith, he’s operating on borrowed time.