The NFL has one of the more exciting offseasons, and many people consider there’s never a dead period in the NFL calendar. An intriguing storyline is seeing the new faces in their new places. One position that could see a lot of headlines are the quarterbacks.

Here, we mention free agents, trade candidates, and draft prospects at the quarterback position and tell you the best landing spot for them this offseason.

FREE AGENTS:

KIRK COUSINS ~ Stays in Minnesota

Cousins will be 36 off a torn Achilles. At his age, much like Aaron Rodgers, it will be an uphill battle for Cousins to come back and perform at a high level. The competitive spirit in those two won’t allow them to end their career on that low note. When Cousins went down, you saw the concern and love from the Vikings fanbase and Kirk’s teammates. That alone makes me certain he’ll come back to Minnesota and likely end his career there.

BAKER MAYFIELD ~ Stays in Tampa Bay

Up until four months ago, I thought Baker Mayfield was not the answer for any NFL team. In the last year, he’s matured greatly on and off the field. It felt like he took his job seriously as quarterback for the Buccaneers and led the team to a division title. Why would you move off Baker? Hopefully, he’s not seeking an outrageous salary. But if you can afford to keep Baker, I believe you do it.

JOSH DOBBS ~ Signs with NY Jets

Dobbs was a quick 15-minutes-of-fame with the Cardinals and then a deadline deal to the Vikings last year. Dobbs is no stranger to being a stranger. If he doesn’t sign with the Vikings, he will have ten moves since being drafted by the Steelers in 2017. He’s 29 and he is incredibly smart, meaning he can learn behind anyone and pick up a playbook with ease.

Insert the Jets. With Rodgers up in age and coming off a torn Achilles, the Jets didn’t have a backup plan until it was too late. Zach Wilson isn’t premium insurance but Josh Dobbs can be. He likely won’t be a starter anywhere but should be considered as one of the better backup options in the league.

JAKE BROWNING ~ Signs with Pittsburgh

When Burrow went down, Browning stepped up. The two had very similar statistics last season for the Bengals, so even with Cincinnati losing a Top 5 quarterback in the NFL, the Bengals didn’t miss a beat with Browning. Teams looking around the NFL need to have Browning on a short list for starters if they don’t want to draft a quarterback.

Kenny Pickett is the only quarterback on the Steelers roster, but is he the answer? Pittsburgh should consider stealing Browning away from a division rival and putting him in immediate competition against Pickett for the starting role. And call me crazy, but by Week 4, Browning would be the starting quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

TRADE CANDIDATES:

RUSSELL WILSON ~ Goes to Atlanta

Wilson just made comments about wanting to stay in Denver and win 2 Super Bowls in the next 5 years, but he wants to be at a place that wants him too. I like the Sean Payton and Russell Wilson pairing, especially with the comparisons to Wilson-Brees over the years, but it feels too far gone.

Atlanta has an easier path to the Super Bowl with an easier division and conference, as opposed to facing Patrick Mahomes twice. Battling Bryce Young, Derek Carr, and (potentially) Baker Mayfield is a much better situation for Wilson and having an established running game with Bijan Robinson should help Wilson excel at this stage of his career.

SAM HOWELL ~ Traded to Vegas

When Dan Quinn took the Commanders head coaching job, I don’t believe he was sold on Sam Howell as quarterback. I believe the Commanders take a quarterback at #2 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, which we’ll get to in just a moment. This means Howell is looking for a new location and Washington is running out of options. The Raiders make sense here.

The Raiders are potentially looking to move Jimmy Garroppolo but have Aidan O’Connell on the roster. The Raiders will need some competition for O’Connell, whether that’s a rookie or they make this deal. Insert Sam Howell, who is talented but makes a lot of mistakes (21 touchdowns to 21 interceptions in 2023). If Vegas can trade a 4th or 5th for Howell, the Commanders can wipe their hands clean and the Raiders can have a choice.

JUSTIN FIELDS ~ Traded to Denver

Vegas trades for Sam Howell to compete, but Denver trades a little more for Justin Fields. I think the Broncos can get away with a trade without giving up their first-round selection. I don’t believe Payton wants a rookie quarterback and after cutting Russell Wilson and letting him walk to Atlanta, the organization can trade to get Justin Fields.

The Broncos got Wilson on the decline, but they can hope they receive Fields on the incline. Sean Payton can assist in that development. Payton got Drew Brees in the quarterback’s 6th year in the NFL and Fields enters his 4th year this season. (TBC)

DRAFT PROSPECTS:

CALEB WILLIAMS ~ Drafted to Chicago

The NFL Draft Combine is a week the rumor mill begins. The rumor mill says the Bears won’t trade Justin Fields, but instead trade the #1 overall pick and opt out of Caleb Williams. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should Chicago do this. The Bears had the ability to draft Patrick Mahomes back in 2017 but instead opted to trade up for Mitchell Trubisky. Why would Chicago have the second chance at a Mahomes-esque talent at quarterback and pass on it?

I could go on a longer rant about Fields not being the guy to turn the Bears organization around. But if you have the #1 overall pick and don’t have an elite quarterback, you should take the best quarterback prospect. Especially in a year like this where it’s evident Williams is the best quarterback available.

DRAKE MAYE ~ Drafted to New England

I don’t see Maye as a #1 overall draft pick. He could go #2, but Drake Maye might fit best with the Patriots. It’s a full rebuild for New England after six Super Bowls in the Tom Brady era. Maye had two seasons as the Tarheels starting quarterback and he can adjust to the NFL speed over the next couple of years while rookie head coach Jerod Mayo decides what the identity of his team needs to be.

And whether it’s an indicator of a smooth college-to-pro transition, or not, Drake Maye is missing one thing in his trophy case that the other two top quarterback candidates have: the Heisman.

JAYDEN DANIELS ~ Drafted to Washington

Maye goes #3 because this guy goes #2. The Commanders have an issue with consistency starting at quarterback. Assuming Caleb is off the board, it’s between this year’s Heisman trophy winner and another UNC quarterback. Does Washington prefer to take another chance on a North Carolina product when they (still) have Sam Howell in the building? Daniels also has the most games played, starting five years in college. He’s the most pro-ready and for a division that needs a pro-ready quarterback, Daniels might be it based on maturity alone.

It’ll be interesting to see the way the quarterback landscape shakes up. We could see several quarterbacks in new environments with the potential of changing the entire lookout for those teams. Who do you think signs to a new team? Who do you think is acquired in a trade? Who do you think gets drafted to the top quarterback-needy teams?

Let us know in the comments below and on social media.