A QB Purge is Coming, So what does it mean?
One of my favorite topics in football is always the most crucial position in the NFL, the Quarterback. With the offseason in full tilt for years fans of the NFL have seen quarterbacks like the Mannings, Brady, Brees, Reothlisberger, and Rivers grace their screens for almost three decades while most likely not thinking anything of it. However, as a new young crop of QBs comes in like Burrow, Mahomes, Herbert, and Lawrence, not only will we see a transition of QB1’s but also Backups as well.
Over the past three seasons the NFL has seen about ten Quarterbacks retire which has effectively “clogged” the pipeline for other prospects and Quarterbacks who may have been utilized in a development role. This offseason the NFL has seen Tom Brady obviously retire, with Backups Chad Henne and Davis Webb also call it quits after the 2022 season.With over 10 QBs over the age of 34 and financially stable is out of question to wonder if we will see more retire as we tread into the 2023 free agency?
With Quarterback rules and advances in player safety aiding in longevity, it’s not outlandish to think guys like Chase Daniel, Joe Flacco, and Colt McCoy continue to take jobs as holding clipboards for a couple more seasons, and only retiring on their terms rather than injury. However, despite the financial and at times game success from many of the above listed quarterbacks, what would the league look like if Ten long standing back ups decided to retire over the next two seasons.
While many may not think too much of it, I believe it would be actually detrimental to the sport. The past two seasons have seen over 60 Quarterbacks start games in 2021 and 2022, with 68 starting this past season. So while NFL fans loathe the thought of seeing Mike Glennon start, is the product a bit better than let's say Jake Fromm taking snaps, no matter how meaningless the game is? I’d disagree, because no matter what the play for the quarterback is crucial in evaluating other positions, and even if the game is meaningless the snaps are not for the Wide Receivers and Tight Ends running routes.
With the newest iterations of the XFL and USFL coming into fruition the NFL can look to those leagues to evaluate the position with Quarterbacks getting reps against NFL caliber players outside the preseason, however is that enough? The 2022 USFL saw four Quarterbacks get signed to NFL deals with only Case Cookus ending up on an NFL practice squad. With Perez and Sloter joining the XFL (with Perez starting for the Vipers), Cookus and KJ Costello have both returned to the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars, signaling somewhat of a failure regarding the development of QBs transitioning to the NFL in 2022. With the XFL in full force in 2023 we may see a different result at the completion of the XFL season come April.
Each time we see a QB retire we see an opportunity open up for another college player or possible back end Quarterback. With Brady, Henne, and Webb retiring the dynamic of NFL three NFL teams slightly. Brady obviously leaves the Bucs in slight flux as not only him but Blaine Gabbert, and long time practice squad QB Ryan Griffin are both not under contract leaving Kyle Trask as the only QB on the Bucs roster.
The Chiefs will be searching for a Backup QB as Henne has been the primary QB2 for the Chiefs since 2018. With Shane Buchele seemingly prime to have a shot at the job and Chris Oladkun under a futures deal, are the Chiefs ok with their back up having no experience behind Mahomes? Or could we see a QB3 with experience like David Blough battle it out with Buchele giving an opportunity to another Quarterback in Arizona.
Overall, it appears that NFL teams may see an extreme amount of changeover in the next several years at the QB position. With the XFL and USFL acting as a development product for the league, we may see teams lean towards Alt-Football leagues in an effort to fill their QB rooms especially if retirements and injuries hit, leading to more inexperienced players stepping up into the QB2 position. With the winds of change, and retirement coming for Tom Brady, don’t be surprised if we continue to see more quarterbacks gain opportunity with the “old guard” turning over in the next couple of seasons.