NFL Free Agency: available Quarterbacks

[cthomer5000]

Heading into the painfully long football off-season, I've already started poring over free agents in an effort to distract myself with daydreams of future Sundays. I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts, criticisms, or hopes for/about these players, and start some sort of regular off-season discussion.

Here are the QB's who are now either unrestricted free-agents (UFA's) or restricted free-agents (RFA). I've listed the team they played for this year, the ages they will be on opening day 2003, and the # of games they have started throughout their respective careers.

2003 Free Agent Quarterbacks

Ranked by number of games started (most to least)

Player-Team-Status-Age-# of games started

George, Jeff - Seattle Seahawks -UFA -35 -124
No doubt a great athletic talent, but getting old and sure to get any coach fired. If you're ready for retirment and want to collect the last few years of your contract while spending time with your kids, sign him immediately.

Blake, Jeff- Baltimore Ravens- UFA- 32- 87
pros: had some pretty impressive years on some pretty bad Bengals teams
cons: he's been sub-standard the last 4 years. can you expect him to develop consistency after so many years in the league?

Peete, Rodney- Carolina Panthers- UFA- 37- 86
Should definitely be re-signed by Carolina. Someone you'd probably describe as "functional" at best. He won't really win you any games on his own, but if you can run the ball, he probably won't screw things up too badly.

Plummer, Jake- Arizona Cardinals- UFA- 28- 82
pros: has started for 6 years
cons: has started for 6 years and still plays like a rookie. tons of potential, tons of frustrating decision making
In his defense he hasn't been surrounded by any running game, and has had very little WR talent. Certainly still has the potential to be above-average.

Banks, Tony- Houston Texans- UFA- 30- 75
Not horrible, but cleary a career backup after a couple failed stints as starter (St. Louis and Baltimore).

Frerotte, Gus- Cincinnati Bengals- UFA- 32- 62
Has played decent at times, but doesn't seem too bright. Keep his head away from stadium walls.

Mirer, Rick- Oakland Raiders- UFA- 33- 60
Can anyone believe he was taken 1 pick after drew bledsoe? After a promising rookie year he has shown nothing. Has blown too many chances for me to believe he can ever be a legit starter, and has been bouncing around the league for years.

Batch, Charles- Pittsburgh Steelers- UFA- 28- 46
I thought he was overly criticized in Detroit, and he seemed to play quite well at times. Certainly has some promise. Pretty mobile. The fact that his name wasn't even mentioned this year in Pittsburgh has me worried. If you can't get into a 3-way competition with Kordell and Maddox, you may not be too great.

Graham, Kent- Jacksonville Jaguars- UFA- 34- 38
Absolute career backup who was cut by Houston. 3rd string material really. The fact that he apparenly came to Houston in terrible shape when he knew he could start most the season could tell you something about his dedication.

Johnson, Rob- Tampa Bay Buccaneers- UFA- 30- 29
Brittle, mentally slow. Unless you have the greatest O-line in history, he's going to take a ton of sacks. Has a real reputation as a practice player, and has rarely shown up in the regular season.

King, Shaun- Tampa Bay Buccaneers- UFA- 26- 22
Still very young, and has starting experience. Once looked to be the real deal in Tampa, but has since been relegated to #3 behind Brad and Rob Johnson. Looked incredibly shakey in his only start of this season.

Matthews, Shane- Washington Redskins- UFA- 33- 22
Wildly inconsistent. If you're a gambling man, he might be worth a chance. Prone to injury.

Pederson, Doug- Green Bay Packers- UFA- 35- 17
Consummate career backup. Will probably stay in Green Bay.

Collins, Todd- Kansas City Chiefs- UFA- 31- 17
Almost never sees the field. A backup at best.

Wuerffel, Danny- Washington Redskins- UFA- 29- 10
Almost unbelievable that he is still in the NFL. I wouldn't touch him with a 10-foot pole.

Garrett, Jason- New York Giants- UFA- 37- 9
absolute career backup. Seems to genuinely play well in relief duty though, or at least he did earlier in his career with the Cowboys.

Detmer, Koy- Philadelphia Eagles- UFA- 30- 7
Could be a very solid #2, and maybe worth a shot as a #1 if your QB situation is that bad, or you're waiting for a youngster to take over. Looked good his rookie year at times, and looked good this past season in his only start. Is downright tough to look at when not wearing a helmet.

Redman, Chris- Baltimore Ravens- RFA- 26- 6
Will almost certainly be resigned. He's young, and has shown very little due to lack of opprtunity, and then injury. He's a huge question mark.

Wright, Anthony- Baltimore Ravens- UFA- 27- 5
Looked as good as any of the terrible Dallas QB's 2 years ago. Will probably never be a starter.

Johnson, Doug- Atlanta Falcons- RFA- 25- 3
Looked quite capable in a few falcons games this year. Could be worth a shot for the right price.

Delhomme, Jake- New Orleans Saints- UFA- 28- 2
has looked good in spurts, but never got much of a chance behind blake & brooks the past few years.

Guys I have nothing to say about:

Stoerner, Clint- Dallas Cowboys- RFA- 25- 2
Covington, Scott- St. Louis Rams- UFA- 27- 1
Quinn, Mike- Houston Texans- UFA- 29- 0
Husak, Todd- New York Jets- UFA- 25- 0
Brown, Travis- Buffalo Bills- RFA- 26- 0
Sauter, Cory- Chicago Bears- RFA- 28- 0
Jackson, Jarious- Denver Broncos- RFA- 26- 0
Rattay, Tim- San Francisco 49ers- RFA- 26- 0
Volek, Billy- Tennessee Titans- RFA- 27- 0

[Doug5984]

Originally posted by cthomer5000
[b]Delhomme, Jake- New Orleans Saints- UFA- 28- 2
has looked good in spurts, but never got much of a chance behind blake & brooks the past few years.


I guess I am very biased in my opinion of him since he is from the same town as me, played college ball in the city, and has now played for the saints his entire (short) career.
But he is a very talented QB, his first game he ever played in (99 season vs. the cowboys, when the saints had 0 talent on the team) he did very well and the next game not quite so great and hasn't really had a chance since. He has been very good in preseason, and training camp and the few times he came in this season. I think he would make a very good starting QB if given a chance, but he has said that unless a team can offer him a very good shot at the starting job he doesn't want to leave Louisiana.

Also, all the other QBs you have mentioned have played in quite a few games and have mostly proven they are not that great (Plummer, Batch, Blake....etc.) so I would take a chance on a guy who could be very good instead of getting someone who I know won't be that great.

[cthomer5000]

I tried to just give the general impression of each player up there... as for my own thoughts:

I think Jake Plummer is probably the best player there, but I wouldn't spend much money on him. If we wanted to sign an incentive based deal with a low signing bonus, bring him on in. If he thinks he deserves even slightly big money, let someone else overpay him.

I thought Pittsburgh got a real steal in Charlie Batch this year, but I'm not so sure now. How did he not even get the slightest bit of consideration when their QB situation was up in the air? I seriously never heard a whisper about him all season. That really can't bode too well for him, he must have looked pretty unimpressive.

As for the younger guys, they get to be bigger and bigger question marks. A few of them have looked good in limited action (Delhomme, Doug Johnson, Koy Detmer), but it's a total crap-shoot as to what you're going to end up with.

[jerem77]

I would take Jake Plummer in a heartbeat. He just needs to learn how to play when the team isn't behind. I hope for his sake he leaves Arizona and joins a team where his talent will be of use.

[The_herd]

I would go with Doug Johnson or Plummer, but I would like to see King given a real chance somewhere.

I think plummer is the most talented, by far, but he needs a good QB coach to work with him every day, starting from day 1 as if he were a rookie, because from I've seen in watching him he has recieved very little coaching on how to be a QB in the NFL.

[ISiddiqui]

Plummer. I'd really like to see him on a team with the Broncos where the running game will be stressed, so he doesn't feel like he has to win the game by himself.

[Daimyo]

If you're talking about in FOF2, it has to be Charlie Batch. He was amazing and always available early in FA! :)

[GrantDawg]

I think Doug Johnson is going to be the surprise of next year. He should get a chance somewhere. I would like to see Plummer given a chance somewhere else, and King also.

[Thomkal]

Originally posted by jerem77
I would take Jake Plummer in a heartbeat. He just needs to learn how to play when the team isn't behind. I hope for his sake he leaves Arizona and joins a team where his talent will be of use.

I hope for Arizona's sake he leaves Arizona. I know he had little to work with this season with all the injuries to his receivers and running backs, but he was just plain awful this season, and not too thrilling the last couple. He just does not have a good head on his shoulders when it comes to make good decisions on the field. My beloved Cards need to go with somebody new, staying with Plummer will just insure they stay in the funk (or should I say stink) they've been in.

I like Plummer the person, and I hope if and when he moves on he can find some success. But I'm not particularly fond of Plummer the QB, and I'll be glad if Arizona doesn't resign him. If he hasn't learned "how to play when the team isn't behind" in six seasons, I can't see him ever being good at it with another team. Better perhaps, but never good.

I myself voted for Batch after consider King and Redman. But if I wanted a starting QB, I'd go with one who at times with Detroit, put up some very nice numbers.

[jerem77]

Originally posted by Thomkal
I hope for Arizona's sake he leaves Arizona. I know he had little to work with this season with all the injuries to his receivers and running backs, but he was just plain awful this season, and not too thrilling the last couple. He just does not have a good head on his shoulders when it comes to make good decisions on the field. My beloved Cards need to go with somebody new, staying with Plummer will just insure they stay in the funk (or should I say stink) they've been in.

I like Plummer the person, and I hope if and when he moves on he can find some success. But I'm not particularly fond of Plummer the QB, and I'll be glad if Arizona doesn't resign him. If he hasn't learned "how to play when the team isn't behind" in six seasons, I can't see him ever being good at it with another team. Better perhaps, but never good.


My dad lives in Arizona and says that the fans have been calling for Plummer's head all season. While I agree that both would probably be better off with a change of scenery, Jake is not the problem. Simeon Rice was the problem beffore that. Of course he won a superbowl on Sunday and was almost named MVP. The problem in Arizona is the management. They have let player after player leave. Once management gets straightened hope, and gets some decent players around him, Jake will be fine. In regards to what another person posted, Arizona can start by focusing on the running game. Take the pressure off Jake so he doesn't feel he has to do it all on his own. For what its worth I like the Cardinals and would like to see them succeed with Jake, but if both are better off with a change, so be it.

[jerem77]

Dola-
By the way, I just looked at the injured reserve for Arizona. Looking at the names on the list, its not hard to believe Jake struggled this season:
Scobey, Josh RB
Gruttadauria, Mike C
Clement, Anthony T
Kendall, Pete G
Fina, John T
Davis, Leonard T
Sanders, Frank WR
Jenkins, MarTay WR
Gilmore, Bryan WR
Boston, David WR

[Thomkal]

Add RB Thomas Jones to that list too. I think McGinnis must have a POOR rating at Avoid Injury. :)

I couldn't agree with you more about the management...make that mismanagement that is Arizona ownership. They let their players hold out all preseason long and sign them in Week 4 or 5 of the exhibition season and they wonder why they get injured or don't perform well out of the box? Though they were better this season about signings.

They may have finally done a good thing when they signed RB Shipp to a multiyear contract-I've barely seen him play so I can't comment on how good I think it is, but at least they are trying to find someone to play that position. Jones was not the answer, and what a disappointment that is after being picked so high in the draft. They must sign Boston to a multi year contract and soon.

Basically Arizona needs a new start. I just can't see them being any better (or much better) than they are now with Plummer at the helm, no matter who they bring in.

[TroyF]

1) I would not have Rob Johnson on my football team. Ever. I'd take Chris Simms over him in a second. My opinion of Chris is well known. That should tell you something.

2) The Broncos are rumored to be after Plummer. If he has a brain in his head, he takes whatever deal they offer him.

3) Brian Griese should be added to the list above. He will be a free agent and I think like Plummer, just needs a change of scenery.

4) Ferotte's unintelligence is legendary in Tulsa. Most Tulsa players on the team still can't figure out how he ever made a dent in the NFL. He used to struggle with the Hurricane playbook. You could always count on his Tulsa teams to be out of time outs by the end of the first quarter and then another 3 or 4 delay of game penalties to boot because of this.

5) I'd love to see Delhomme get a shot somewhere, but he'd better take advantage of it quick if he does get that chance.

TroyF

[Bee]

I think Delhomme will get a hard look. He definitely has talent and I think someone will take a chance on him if they miss out on one of the big QB's in the draft.

I'd rather take a chance with Delhomme than Plummer, but that's just my opinion (I've thought for a long time Plummer was overrated).

[jamesUMD]

I just laugh because 7 of the qb's at the top of the list and 8 overall are Ex-Redskins! Can we gauge qb talent or what!

I would say in this order:
1. Doug Johnson
2. Jake Delhomme
3. Shaun King

Since Redman was a first rounder, I think if they tender him and offer, you would have to give up a first rounder in exchange or maybe more. I can't seem to remember. Same as Johnson, but I think he was taken lower, which would reduce the amount of compesation. King and Delhomme have shown promise. I think King could bounce back given the right situation. He needs to start fresh. Delhomme seems assured to return to New Orleans given Brooks shaky perfomance, and I think I read somewhere where Delhomme said he is very happy there.

[cthomer5000]

Originally posted by Bee
I think Delhomme will get a hard look. He definitely has talent and I think someone will take a chance on him if they miss out on one of the big QB's in the draft.

I'd rather take a chance with Delhomme than Plummer, but that's just my opinion (I've thought for a long time Plummer was overrated).

There's been rumours that Chicago is not looking to draft a QB, and are considering bringing Delhomme into the mix in Chicago.

Personally If I were them, I'd cut Chandler and Miller, bring in a Delhomme type-guy, and draft a quarterback. Their current situation is atrocious.

[Doug5984]

Originally posted by jamesUMD
Delhomme seems assured to return to New Orleans given Brooks shaky perfomance, and I think I read somewhere where Delhomme said he is very happy there.

He is very happy in New Orleans, he is from Louisiana has played here his whole life and knows the offensive system very well. So he has said that if someone does not offer him a good shot at starting then he really wants to come back to New Orleans. Also, with Brooks having shoulder surgery he should be 100% by training camp, but if he is not then it would give Jake a great chance to really show his talent and maybe move to a team next year.

Another reason I would take a chance on a lesser known QB (like Delhomme or Johnson or someone like that) is if it doesn't work out then your team will probably not have a great year and next year you would have a good chance at drafting Manning.

[rkmsuf]

I don't get the love affair with Plummer. Aside from some comebacks he is nothing special. Only Arizona would have stuck with him as long as they did.

[Qwikshot]

I'm hoping Detmer goes back to the Iggles, he's not starting QB material, but he's a sparkplug who plays hard and has proven himself to be great in rallying the troops if McNabb goes down...

[Fritz]

When did people get so down on King?

[Doug5984]

I just looked at Plummer's stats and I don't see why he is being considered a good QB- In 6 years he has only played 16 games 3 times that questions his durability, although he has started the last 2 full seasons. His career completion % is 55.9, his highest season total is 59% - this year alone 19 (qualified QBs according to ESPN) threw for over 60%. He has thrown 90 TDs to 114 INTs and only one season he had more TDs than INTs. He has had back-to-back 18 TD season (both career highs) and 13 QBs had higher than this (also it would seem his should be higher because the Cards don't have a great running game). He has only thrown for over 3,000 yards twice....17 QBs threw for 3,000 this year.

After looking over those #'s it seems to me that he has had his chance and he will probably get a starting job somewhere but I don't think any team should bank on him be the long term answer at QB, he might put up decent #s for a season or 2 if he is put in the right system.

[Neuqua]

Keep in mind Doug that he played for the Arizona Cardinals.

Talentwise, I'd put them in the bottom 5 teams in the entire NFL.

I loved Jake in college, and I really think he's capable of being a very good quarterback in the NFL. But to echo what others have said, he desperately needs a change of scenary.

Neuqua

[TroyF]

Doug,

It's important to keep a few things in mind about Plummer:

1) Up until this past season, his offensive lines were horrific. In 4 of the 6 years, he played behind the worst offensive line in the game.

2) No running back ever emerged to take pressure off of him. (the O-Line being a large reason for that as well)

3) This past season, he was throwing to a very suspect core of WR. Boston had a horrible year, dropping pass after pass before he finally went out for the season injured. Sanders struggled all year. If there was one WR core who could be as bad as the Falcons in the NFL, Arizona's would be the one.

We'll see what happens if the Broncos sign him. He may still bust. At least he'll have a fair shot and a fresh start.

TroyF

[korme]

Jeff Blake is still a baller.

[MizzouRah]

I like Plummer too. A change of scenery will do him lots of good.

I really think Chad Pennington will be 'the man' next year. Just watching him play reminds me of a first year Warner. He's so relaxed, it's errie.


Todd

[korme]

Mizzou.. is Chad a free agent? IS HE AVAILABLE?

STICK TO THE F'ING TOPIC.

Proceed.

:)

[cthomer5000]

bumping this for the hell of it. I want to check out what we all thought in the offseason.

[rkmsuf]

Plummer is the only one to have an impact so FOFC was right on.

Redman is the only other one on the list to have any potential left...Rattay and Wright will get a shot...

[Franklinnoble]

Frerotte looked really good in relief of Daunte Culpepper earlier this year.

[rkmsuf]

Originally posted by Franklinnoble
Frerotte looked really good in relief of Daunte Culpepper earlier this year.

That's the perfect situation for him. Starting on a regular basis is a whole different scenario...

[Kodos]

I think Shaun King could be decent in the right situation.

[Radii]

Originally posted by rkmsuf
Plummer is the only one to have an impact so FOFC was right on.

Redman is the only other one on the list to have any potential left...Rattay and Wright will get a shot...

Despite the fact that I still wish the Panthers would have gone after Plummer, or traded up to get Leftwich, it should be pointed out that Jake Delhomme has made quite an impact as well from the above list.

[Franklinnoble]

Originally posted by rkmsuf
That's the perfect situation for him. Starting on a regular basis is a whole different scenario...

Aside from the whole head-butt scenario, he wasn't a bad QB for the 'Skins while he was there. He had next to nothing for talent around him, and still played respectably. I think the two games for the Vikes showed what he was capable of doing with decent offensive linemen, running backs, and especially WR's. I mean, Joe Montana would have sucked if all he had to throw to was a well-aged Henry Ellard and the ever-disappointing Michael Westbrook.

[Franklinnoble]

Originally posted by Kodos
I think Shaun King could be decent in the right situation.

If the situation happens to be shift manager at Dairy Queen, I concur.

[rkmsuf]

Originally posted by Radii
Despite the fact that I still wish the Panthers would have gone after Plummer, or traded up to get Leftwich, it should be pointed out that Jake Delhomme has made quite an impact as well from the above list.

Forgot about him...he's had some great rallies but we'll see in terms of the long haul.

Gus is destined to be a back up now. With the influct of some good free agent/available qb's he's missed his window for now...

[korme]

Scott Covington needs to be signed.

[cthomer5000]

And still, Charlie Batch doesn't get any legitimate look while the Steelers struggle. Either they don't like him, or he is showing 0 on the practice field.

[rkmsuf]

Originally posted by Shorty3281
Scott Covington needs to be signed.

why does he have pictures or something?