The NFL off-season is here. March 15th is the official date for the start of the free agency. The window where teams can franchise tag players has passed. Four quarterbacks were major questions ending in free agency. A few of these QBs got deals done while a few are still looking for deals potentially with other teams.
Daniel Jones
Jones’ agent and the New York Giants were able to get a deal down before the franchise tag deadline. Jones’ new contract is for four years, worth $160 million. The contract does include an additional $35 million in incentives. This contract makes him tied with Derek Carr for tenth in the league for salary in the NFL. Now that the Giants don’t have to use the franchise tag on Daniel Jones they will be using it on running back Saquon Barkley, with whom the team currently working on a contract.
Derek Carr
After the 2022-2023 season concluded, something was very apparent, Carr was not going to be a Las Vegas Raider. After several months of speculation, three teams were involved in the Derek Carr sweepstakes: the New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, and the Carolina Panthers. Carr wouldv’e been great on either one of these teams. All of them have great defensive units and decent weapons plus two of them (Jets and Panthers) have a solid run game. Carr’s contract with the Saints is a four-year $150 million with 100 million being guaranteed.
Lamar Jackson
The Baltimore Ravens announced that they would not be able to have a deal done before the 4 pm deadline for franchise tagging. But, the organization did franchise tag him with the non-exclusive tag. That type of tag means Jackson can talk to other teams.
If for example, the Panthers were interested in Lamar they would have to send the Ravens an offer then the Ravens would have the chance to match that offer. This tag was recently used for Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams when he got traded from the Green Bay Packers to Las Vegas.
What Happens Now for Lamar?
Lamar can start the process of meeting with other teams. Those teams would be mainly quarterback-needy (the Carolina Panthers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Indianapolis Colts, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Houston Texans). Negotiating this contract is more difficult because Lamar represents himself instead of having an Agent like most athletes. The price if a team did trade for Lamar would probably start at two first-round picks.
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers has certainly controlled this off-season whether it’s by media appearances or what the Green Bay Packers have said themselves. There is still a lot of unknown surrounding Rodgers.
In the last few days, the tone has shifted around Rodgers. Many Packers fans knew there was a possibility he would not be on the teams next year but, that was more of a distant thing that could happen. However Yesterday it was reported that talks between the Jets and Rodgers started and continued today,
according to many sources.
Unfortunately, back on February 14th, Rodgers stated “I think Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport are really good at their jobs but when it comes to me they don't know s**t" plus no one in his inner circle has talked to the media. Frankly, no one knows the details that are being discussed. However, it has been widely reported that talks are currently happening.
What’s Next for AR12?
This week it feels like Aaron will be making his decision whether it’s retirement, with the Packers, or with another team. The Jets have a great defense, weapons, and run game. The Jets are the ultimate example of the phrase “just a QB away”.
Quarterback Frenzy
There is so much news encompassing quarterbacks and the tampering period hasn’t even started (that starts March 13th then free agency starts on March 15th). Once free agency starts teams are able to reach out and potentially trade for guys like Lamar Jackson and Aaron Rodgers.