STAMFORD, CT – Happy Election Day! Don’t forget to vote. It won’t really change much, but at least we’ll have some new people to bitch about. I’m personally hoping to see a lot of crap politicians kicked out on their keesters. And next season in the NFL, a lot of QBs will be kicked out of their a$$es as well. Let’s not be hasty, though, decent replacements are hard to find. In New York – dare I say – we’ve found our guys. Maybe. Plenty of teams will be looking for a new QB next season but there will be more demand than supply. Let’s take an early look at the 2023 NFL QB Landscape.
Job Postings
I think it’s safe to say that the Colts, Texans, Commanders, Lions, Saints, and Panthers will be looking for a new signal caller. Tom Brady looked like he just won another Super Bowl after beating the Rams, but he still might hang ’em up… Rodgers is probably too much of a stubborn egomaniac to shut it down after such a brutal year, but it’s possible. I’ve never seen him that mad.
Brady and Rodgers are making Kirk Cousins look downright affable by comparison… San Francisco is a team in QB Flux. Maybe they’ll try to bring back Garoppolo and give him another shot to be Lance’s backup plan/tutor.
It is a stocked QB draft this year, but you can’t expect more than a few to be ready from day one. So a few teams are going to be fighting through the mediocre signal-caller scrap heap, likely headlined by three QBs currently on the Panthers.
New York QBs
Enter Daniel Jones, who suddenly looks pretty damn decent. He’s better than anyone likely to be available as a free agent, assuming Lamar is locked up and there are no surprises. And assuming the Giants don’t completely fall apart, they will likely have to trade up in the draft to come away with a top QB prospect.
What I’m saying is Daniel Jones will be back next year.
What a difference a week makes for Zach Wilson. After the Pats’ debacle, former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum was saying that Wilson was holding them back, and was talking about how they would be better off with Joe Flacco. Ouch, Mike. Not sure I agree with that one.
But Wilson looked decisive and made some big throws in the upset of the Bills. He leaned on Garrett Wilson, who has all the makings of a true #1 receiver. And Zach clearly worked on throwing it away. The Jets are taking off.
Brady or Belichick, Wilson or Carroll
I hate the Pats dynasty but I love the debate on whether Brady or Bill was more important. On the other side of the country, it seems obvious now that Pete Carroll was way important to Seattle’s success than Russell Wilson. Seattle looked like they were tanking for a top QB, but Carroll has turned afterthought Geno into a stud. If Geno gets hurt and he turns Drew Lock into a stud, Carroll should go straight to the Hall of Fame.
Heck, maybe we should put him in the Hall already, based on this haul he got for Wilson, who has been bad in Denver. The No. 9 overall this year and a 2023 first-rounder; two second-round picks, No. 40 overall pick this year and a 2023 second-rounder, this year’s fifth-round pick, tight end Noah Fant, quarterback Drew Lock and defensive end Shelby Harris. The better QB and a huge haul. Well done.
Geno and Dan Jones are testaments to what good coaching can do for decent QBs. Imagine how many QBs were ruined by Adam Gase types. Or how many mediocre QBs had careers because they landed in a good place?
When I finish my time machine, I’ll conduct some experiments. First, I’ll redo the 2000 draft with Tom Brady going to the Browns and Chad Pennington going to the Patriots. Then I’ll redo the 2012 draft and have Russell Wilson go to the Jaguars, and Brandon Weeden go to the Seahawks. Let’s see what these legendary coaches can do with Weeden and Pennington. And let’s see what these legendary QBs can do with terrible coaches. 
That would be fun. On a related note, Sean Payton told Eli and Peyton on MNF that when he worked for the Giants, he tried to convince Ernie Accorsi to draft Tom Brady. I’ll put that one on the time travel experiment list too. On second thought, no I won’t.
Most Important Position in Sports
Which brings me at last to my point. There’s no position in team sports that is so dependent on supporting cast and solid coaching. Nothing comes close. That’s why it’s such a hard position to draft. Is he a good quarterback or just a product on top talent and good coaching? I’m looking at you, Mac Jones.
Some of these guys could surely play but need a lot of seasoning. But it’s win now culture. Who’s got time for seasoning? How long will the Niners give Trey Lance, when the rest of the roster is built to win now?
Comment below, and come back tomorrow for Angry Ward, whose opinion of Kirk Cousins has improved some after watching the shirtless plane video. You like that?! He like that, alright. Follow us on Twitter at @BenWhit8, @MeetTheMatts, @Matt_McCarthy00, Instagram @MeetTheMatts and like our Facebook page, Meet The Matts.
