Making a case to trade Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers is often regarded as one of the most physically gifted quarterbacks ever drafted, and has built a hall of fame career since then. However he began his career on the bench behind a legend in Brett Favre, and now finds himself the legend starting ahead of a first round pick. 

Aaron Rodgers is 37 years old, and a 16 year veteran at this point of his career. Despite not being a starter until his 4th season, he has completed in 197 games 4285 of 6287 passes or 65% for 51,245 yards 7.8 yards per attempt, 412 tds to just 89 ints, as well as 652 carries, 3,271 yards, 31 tds. He has written his resume for the Hall of fame using Green and Yellow ink up to this point but in 2020 the Packers spent a first round pick on Jordan Love from Utah State with the 26th overall pick after a trade up from 30. 

Love is 22 years old a full 15 years younger than Rodgers, while he is regarded as a project player due to his smaller school background, he was handed a fully guaranteed contract the first time a qb has received this since the rookie wage scale changed. Obviously this proves that Love is in the long term plans for the Packers and Rodgers isn't..granted they have already set the premise that they would rather wait to replace a qb until a year too late rather than a year too early, however I believe they would be wrong to wait. 

Consider this perspective: Rodgers is at his highest possible value currently and is only a depreciating asset from here whether he stays or goes his value diminishes each year. However he is coming off of an MVP award and his second straight NFC Championship game losing to Tom Brady who is 6 years older than him and only proving that Rodgers is worth multiple first round picks even still now at 37 years old. To a team like San Francisco that believes they are the right qb away from winning it all the price isn't too high to pay especially if it buys you 3-5 more years to develop a quarterback for the future and keeps your championship window open. 

But why pull the plug earlier rather than later if you still believe Love needs time to develop? That's quite simple, you can surround Love with more top flight weapons by obtaining multiple high draft picks in exchange for his services. You also shed salary and create cap space, allowing for a free agent haul to buoy your team or you simply bottom out for a year until Love learns the hard way. Either way you already have your next qb on a rookie contract, you gain premium draft capitol, and you set your coach and organization up for the future with young cheap but high end talent something that will be extra crucial in 2021 after reports that the cap could be as low as $175 million. 

As if the Packers needed any reassurance their counterparts the Lions shipped their qb Matthew Stafford to the Rams in exchange for a 2021 3rd round pick, and first round picks in 2022, and 2023 AND Jared Goff. With that being said I don't think anyone is making the arguement that Stafford is more valuable than Rodgers right now, and I could easily see a team look at Rodgers and realize he is the answer to take them to a Super Bowl. The list of teams that could improve with Rodgers, even at 37 years old, isn't a short one. I could see Denver, San Francisco, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, or Jacksonville making an offer the Detroit/ L.A. trade might serve as a blueprint for some of these other teams. For instance:

Denver could easily package Drew Lock, and their next 3 first round picks for the chance to bring in Rodgers. The Packers pick up 3 first round picks that would allow them to build an immense amount of talent around Love, and bring in Lock who could in theory serve as a fallback option if Love doesn't pan out. This would actually make a lot of sense for both franchises. Denver is in a situation where their coach's seat is getting hotter by the loss. They have a new GM that was a part of a franchise that may not have traded for their QB but a different kind of bold move in signing Kirk Cousins to a fully guaranteed deal. He likely wouldn't shy away from the chance to bring in Rodgers on a team that features a ton of offensive weapons already, as well as a very talented pass rush. 

Jacksonville is in a unique position where they hold the number 1 pick with a qb on the board that everyone believes to be the safest prospect since Andrew Luck. However no one can tell the future of Trevor Lawerence, for every time an analyst called a prospect a can't miss there are those that failed to live up to lofty expectations. Perhaps the Jaguars take a look back at their history of drafting first round quarterbacks with Blaine Gabbert, Blake Bortles, and Byron Leftwich on their resume and get spooked on the potential of another unknown and decide to simply swing a trade for Rodgers. They could offer the #1 overall pick, one of their 2 second round picks, and one of their 2 4th round picks. They could leave the trade still possessing a pick in every round of this year and next year's draft, get their qb and still be able to build around him for a year or two. The Packers get the top pick, and the chance to select Trevor Lawerence a much more polished prospect than Jordan Love. They would also gain a 2nd and 4th round pick allowing them to immediately build a strong roster all in one offseason with younger and cheaper players giving them a longer window to build around Lawerence or Love whoever proves to be the better prospect. 

San Francisco could offer the Packers another bridge QB in Jimmy Garrappolo as well as offer them their first round pick in 2021, 2022 and 3rd round picks in 2022, and 2023. This would allow the Packers flexibility in when they decided to start Love and prevent having to throw him right into the fire. They also gain as second first round pick over the next two drafts and 3rd round picks in 22, and 23 which will prove vital in adding important depth the next few years. Meanwhile the 49ers don't completely mortgage their future as they still have their complete drafts over the next two years outside of their first round picks. This gives them the ideal qb to run Shanahan's system, and flexibility to develop a backup behind him or eventually hand the reigns to Mullens after he learns behind Rodgers. 

Josh McCown from player to head coach?

Josh McCown has one of the hands down most interesting career paths in the NFL. From how his career began, to how he briefly played WR, before being out of the league, then starting his first playoff game over 40 years old, to being the oldest player to hold a practice squad spot. He might be the first modern era player to go straight from playing to running his own team if the last two offseasons are any indication. How did he get to this point though? 

Josh McCown is the middle of 3 sons born to parents Pat, and Robin McCown in Jacksonville Texas. His parents owned a ranch, and his father had played just one year of high school football but somehow went on to produce 3 sons Randy, Josh, and Luke who all played professional football with different levels of success. Randy started the trend of the boys starting at QB for Jacksonville High School. However it was Josh who would be the first in the family to make it into the NFL and would prove to find the most success at the pro level. 

Josh would parlay his 3 years starting for Southern Methodist, before transferring to Sam Houston State. He would go on to use this one year in a more aggressive offense to become a third round pick in the NFL draft after a senior year that saw him complete 60.4% of his 429 passes for 3,481 yards or 8.1 avg. 32 tds, 12 ints adding 351 rushing yards and 6 tds showing his dual threat ability. 

In 2002 the Cardinals under coach Dave McGinnis drafted Josh McCown to compete with Jake Plummer. While McCown didn't seize the starting job, Plummer was allowed to leave in free agency. Instead of simply handing the job to McCown, they signed Jeff Blake. Blake started 13 games but the future at the position was McCown. McCown in 2003 played in 3 games completing just under 58% of his passes for 1,018 yards, 5 tds 6 ints adding 128 yards and 1 td. In 2004 he took over as the starter playing in 14 games starting 13. He would complete 57% of his passes for 2,511 yards 11 tds, 10 ints adding 112 yards and 2 tds. In 2005 Dennis Green brought in Kurt Warner to start with McCown relegated to a backup role but went on to start 6 games completing over 60% of his passes for the first time ever. McCown was a victim of circumstance serving under 2 different head coaches, 4 different offensive coordinators, and 2 qb coaches. 

Beginning of the journeyman: in 2006 McCown did what many former starters do and signed on to be a backup in Detroit to veteran Jon Kitna who wasn't in strong standing. McCown came in the same year as new head coach Rod Marinelli, and former greatest show on turf architect Mike Martz. Martz served as offensive coordinator and QB coach. Unfortunately McCown would play more as a WR in 2006 than he would as a qb. Catching 2 passes for 15 yards in 2 games. 

In 2007 McCown requested a trade having signed with the Lions for a chance to compete for a starting job but it was clear Kitna was the short term starter and Drew Stanton was drafted to be the long term future. The Lions packaged McCown and Mike Williams together trading them to Oakland in exchange for a 4th round pick. He would go on to beat out Daunte Culpepper, and Andrew Walter for the starting job before injury affected his play and he was bounced back and forth off the bench. He would play under coaches Lane Kiffin, Greg Knapp, and John Defilippo. 

In 2008 McCown signed with the Dolphins to compete with Chad Henne, and John Beck. He was listed as the starter until Chad Pennington was signed. Instead of McCown retaining the starting job they decided Pennington was the better option. The Panthers did him a favor and shipped Miami a 7th round pick in exchange for McCown. He would actually go on to play out the 2 year contract he signed with Miami before being traded. He served as the backup to Jake Delhomme for the 08-09 seasons. At 30 years old with an 8 year old career behind him McCown could have easily moved on from football altogether. Playing under John Fox, Jeff Davidson, and Mike McCoy. As well as head coach Tony Sparano, coordinator Dan Henning, and qb coach David Lee in Miami.

In 2010 McCown made the bold move of taking a starting job in a new league with the Hartford Colonials he went on to play in 8 games completing 56% of his passes for 1,414 yards 10 tds, 8 ints. He played under Chris Palmer who somehow served as head coach, GM, and offensive coordinator as well as QB coach Dave Ragone who recently was hired as the Falcons offensive coordinator, WR coach Shane Waldron who is now the passing game coordinator under Sean McVay with the Rams. 

2011 saw McCown make the leap back into the NFL with the 49ers where he lasted less than a month before. He would sign here under his former coaches from Detroit who had moved on to Chicago. Rod Marinelli served as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach to Lovie Smith, while Mike Martz was again the offensive coordinator, and Shane Day who still coaches QB'S to this day. He would spend 3 seasons here and have the best stretch of his career which arguably restarted his career as a potential starting qb. He would play in 11 games with 7 starts completing 184 of 279 passes for 2,243 yards 15 tds, 5 ints. 

For the 2014 season McCown headed into unrestricted free agency with Chicago hoping to retain him as a backup but his desire to start well known. Despite being 34 years old his former head coach with Chicago Lovie Smith brought him in to start for the Buccaneers. McCown served as a captain starting 11 games going 1-10. He was responsible for 14 tds, 14 ints, and just over 2,300 yards. He was coached by Lovie Smith, offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford, and qb coach Marcus Arroyo. Both Tedford and Arroyo have gone on to become head coaches. 

In 2015 McCown was released by the Bucs after just 1 down season with the team in which rookie Mike Glennon played quite a bit earning the backup job and making McCown expendable. With the poor record the Bucs had the top pick and ability to draft Jameis Winston as their future signal caller. McCown again found himself hunting for an opportunity to start. This would leave him to Cleveland under head coach Mike Pettine, and two noted qb whisperers in John Defillippo, and Kevin O'Connel both who have gone on to be respected offensive coordinators. McCown would go on to play 13 games starting 11 over two seasons. In year 1 he was the starter before the Browns brought in RGIII to start. However RGIII suffered an injury that forced him to miss 8 games right off the bat. This allowed McCown to throw 457 passes completing 276 of them for a total of 3,209 yards 18 tds, 10 ints, adding another 119 yards and 1 td on the ground. His play wasn't good enough to warrant Cleveland keeping him through the length of his contract. He was released on 2/17/17. 

In 2017 he signed with the New York Jets where he started 13 games. This would prove to be his best statistical season of his career. 13 starts, 67.3% completion rate for 2,926 yards, 18 tds 9 ints adding 124 yards and 5 more tds on the ground. This performance earned him another 1 year deal with New York. Except this time in 2018 he returned to play second fiddle to Sam Darnold who was drafted in 2018. This is where the thoughts of McCown coaching began to start coming up strongly. McCown served as a valuable mentor to Darnold his rookie season, while still playing in 4 games starting 3 due to injury. Darnold praised McCown for helping him learn the role he took from Josh without a bit of animosity. At this point Josh McCown was 39 years old and decided it was time to retire. Accepting a position as an analyst with ESPN. however he wasn't quite done yet. He played under Adam Gase whom he had crossed paths with earlier in life, as well as noted qb coach Jeremy Bates in 2017 and 2028. 

In 2019 the Eagles came calling convincing him to return from retirement after an injury to primary backup Nate Sudfeld. McCown came in seized the job from Sudfeld and never turned back ultimately playing his first ever playoff game at 40 years old after a concussion sidelined Wentz. The 40 year old qb went on to complete 75% of his passes, but accounting for no tds. During this game McCown tore his hamstring from the bone but finished the game. Following this game the Eagles strongly pursued McCown as a coaching candidate for their offensive coordinator position. The 40 year old at that point had 18 years experience in the league under some of the most respected and intelligent offensive minds in the game. He was every bit qualified to run his own offense after essentially serving as a player coach for two seasons behind Darnold, and Wentz. However he turned down the offer wanting to continue playing at 41. The following season in 2020 covid 19 would change everything resulting in a change to the practice squad rules eliminating the restrictions on experienced players being signed to the practice squad. The Eagles decided the next best thing to hiring him as a coach was signing him as a practice squad player who served as an emergency qb, as well as a kind of defacto assistant qb coach.Making him the oldest player to ever sign to a practice squad. However Houston ultimately came in and snatched him off the practice squad. 

Josh McCown didn't sign with Houston until a month after the dismissal of Bill O'Brien. Playing under Romeo Crennel, and coordinator/qb coach Tim Kelly who is another respected offensive mind. He would play for the team from November on as the backup to Watson and Mccaaron. The twist to this story is the fact that just 2 months after being signed as a 3rd string qb McCown was interviewed for the head coaching role for the Texans. In back to back seasons the high school coach was considered for prominent positions as an NFL coach. However it is not without precedent being that McCown has spent parts of the last 10 years helping coach qbs for Marvin Ridge High School, and now Myers Park High where his sons play. While also helping teach gym class on top of it all. McCown actually had an arrangement where he was allowed to fly home Mondays for game planning and practice before returning on Friday for game day while with the Eagles.

To sum it all up Josh McCown is a product of his surroundings over his career. He has been surrounded by quarterbacks his entire life dating all the way back to when his older brother started the legacy of the family by starting at QB for Jacksonville High. He has spent time around some of the brightest and most well known offensive coaches in the league and absorbed the knowledge he was given which makes him a uniquely experienced coaching candidate who has ties to just about every major coaching tree at this point. 

McCown was always a cerebral player which allowed him to prolong his career as a journeyman backup qb, and it might be the reason he adds first modern era player to retire into running a team as a head coach the first player to do so since Norm Van Brocklin in 1961. Van Brocklin retired in 1960 before immediately being hired as the Vikings head coach. It would be extremely fitting for McCown to be the next player to manage this. 

Eagles Coaching Staff

Well its official there is a complete revamp of the coaching staff going on in Philly. Newly hired head coach was expected to bring in his own guys, people he is familiar with but I expected some people to stay due to their indirect familiarity with the system however that has not been the case. Let's take a look at who has been hired, retained, or let go. 

First of all Doug Pederson who had been the head coach for the last 5 years and spent a total of 10 years in Philly was fired after an end of the year discussion with owner Jeffery Lurie shed light on just how far apart the coach had grown from the organization due to years of having his decisions pushed in one direction on coaching staff decisions, and even at times player choice. Its basically one of those situations where the owner felt changes were necessary yet again and Pederson didn't agree and refused to make the changes. Lurie decided it was just time to move on. 

That's where Nick Sirianni comes in. Sirriani was Frank Reich's right hand man in San Diego before he came to Philly. After being hired as the head coach in Indy, Reich brought Sirianni with him this time as his offensive coordinator. The Eagles are obviously fans of the job Frank Reich did in 2016, and 2017 with Carson Wentz and believes that Sirianni can bring back that positive energy and get Wentz back on track. Sirianni is still a younger guy at 39 years old and should have no issue connecting with Wentz who is just 12 years younger than him. In my mind Sirianni was brought in because he is the next best thing to Frank Reich, they also believe they hired the next great head coach just a year or two before he started being regarded as such. The most important thing I have heard about Sirianni is he builds his offense and play calling around his players rather than trying to force players into his system. 

Sirianni wasted no time starting to build his staff replacing retired defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz with former Indy DB's coach Jonathon Gannon. Gannon helped coach up some young players into starting caliber talents and is regarded as a solid developmental coach something the Eagles desperately need on defense. Gannon got his start in college before heading to the Falcons for the ill fated Bobby Petrino fiasco. He went on to act as a scout for the Rams from 2009-2011. This is when he received his break into coaching as a defensive assistant under coordinator Jerry Gray. Gray was a respected Coordinator and helped tutor another big name Arthur Smith who held the position Gannon moved into just the year prior. Gannon then was hired by the Vikings where he spent 2014-2017 learning under Mike Zimmer, and coordinator George Edwards both of which had run defenses for years, then he went on to the Colts working on the hottest defensive coordinator in the game right now Matt Eburflus. As you can see Gannon has been surrounded by some of the best defensive minds in the league before getting this chance. I have no doubt he is ready. 

Word is that Jeff Stoutland the offensive line coach, and run game coordinator will be retained. No news as to what exact role he will hold but he is expected to coach the offensive line again. While I know Stoutland is well respected due to his job developing several players but recently his results haven't been as impressive as hoped. Andre Dillard in particular hasn't been able to seize a starting job, Jordan Mailata took years to finally hit the field, Matt Pryor who served as the 6th lineman in 2019 filling in at guard and tackle was buried on the depth chart in 2020 despite injuries across the board. I wouldn't have been opposed to seeing change here.

Shane Steichen is another up and coming name who could eventually wind up as a guy mentioned for head coaching openings. He started his career in 2010 as an offensive assistant at Lousiville. Same place Gannon started his coaching career. Steichen quickly rose to the NFL ranks with the Chargers where he spent all but 2 seasons of his career to this point. Starting out as a defensive assistant for the 2011 and 2012 season he transitioned to offense when he coached for the Browns in 2013. He returned to the Chargers in 2014 after Rob Chudzinski was fired in Cleveland. This time Steichen held the offensive quality control title for two seasons before being promoted to qb coach, before moving on to offensive coordinator in 2019. Steichen has worked under Ken Whisenhunt, Anthony Lynn, Mike McCoy, Frank Reich, and now Nick Sirriani. He clearly has been surrounded by some of the best offensive minds in the league throughout his short career. I'm excited to see his offense at work after a very successful season with rookie Justin Herbert. 

Unfortunately after hearing he was passed up for both the head coaching position and offensive coordinator role for the 6th time over the past 5 years alone Duce Staley decided it's time to move on from the only team he has ever known as a coach. Despite years as a player, starting his coaching career here, and being a loyal assistant through 3 head coaches this was the straw that broke the camel's back. Staley was passed over for both the head coaching position and offensive coordinator roles in 2016 watching Doug Pederson, and Frank Reich take these jobs. In 2018 the Eagles passed over Staley to promote Mike Groh as offensive coordinator a position he held until he was fired in 2019. You guessed it Staley was again passed over for a coordinator role. This time the Eagles brought in a ton of voices to create a sort of hivemind offense which clearly didn't work. So again this offseason they are searching for a head coach, and offensive coordinator again passing over Staley for both roles. Honestly I don't blame Duce for wanting to move on. Clearly Jeffery Lurie doesn't believe in Duce as a coordinator or head coaching candidate. If he did his voice would have been heard and Pederson likely would have promoted Duce in the past. But if the situation with Pederson is any indication, Lurie has all the pull he could want when it comes to the coaching staff so it goes without assumption he is directly responsible for Duce hitting a snag in his career. I would hold animosity toward that man too even after he helped give me my start as a player and coach. Update: Dan Campbelm has hired Duce to join him in Detroit. 

Kevin Patulla has been hired as the passing game specialist after serving in a similar role last year for the Eagles. He has coached wide receivers, quarterbacks and aided in quality control. He was praised by Sirianni for his knowledge of the RPO system and for his outside the box thinking due to his time in college as a coach. Patulla will help design the offense but with Steichen and Sirianni having final say on playcalling.

Defensive line coach Tracy Rocker was hired away from the same role with Auburn. Rocker has been coaching 1992. He was drafted in the 3rd round just 3 years prior as a defensive tackle. He played in 24 games across the 89 and 90 season before retiring and serving as a defensive coordinator for Auburn High. He moved into college coaching with a focus on the defensive line and has created a very long career doing it. Which should help the Eagles develop younger players like Derek Barnett, and Josh Sweat.

Justin Peele has now been hired by the Atlanta Falcons as a tight end coach after serving in the same role for the Eagles. He held this role for 7 years helping develop a very strong run of players at tight end for the Eagles. He will now work to develop Hayden Hurst. 

Mike Bartrum the assistant tight end coach is interviewing for the head coaching job with Marshall. If he doesn't land the job there is a good chance he sticks with Philly in a similar role. He is a former NFL tight end himself that has served as a coach for just 2 seasons. He also has experience playing special teams so it's a possibility he ends up coaching special teams to some degree. 

Speaking of special teams, coordinator Dave Fipp will also join the Lions coaching staff under Dan Campbell in the same role. The Eagles have lost two prominent coaches to the Lions in just a week since Campbell was hired. I wouldn't be surprised to see more. 

Ken Flajole former linebacker coach has decided to retire leaving a vacancy. There are several candidates for this opening, including Matt Burke a current assistant who coached d-line in 2020 but was replaced by a more experienced line coach. Burke has more experience coaching LB's in his past than the line anyway so this transition makes sense.

Rich Scangarello was not retained and returned to his former position of qb coach with the 49ers under his mentor Kyle Shanahan. Likely the best move for Scangarello who is still relatively young and could use this position to again find a coordinator job in a couple years.

Marty Morhinweig brought back in 2020 after a year out of the league, he was not retained following an ugly year where there were simply too many voices on offense. With guys like Pederson, Staley, Scangarello, Morhinweig, Press Taylor, and even Andrew Breiner having a say it gets cluttered quick. 

Last but not least assistant defensive line coach Nathan Ollie has decided to sign a contract with the Jets under new coach Robert Saleh. 

Updates:

WR coach Aaron Moorehead was in fact retained. This will be the first time in years there was continuity at this spot. I really like the fact he was kept this will allow him to continue to build on the teaching he had done with all our young guys last year. 

QB coach Brian Johnson was hired away from Florida where he served as the offensive coordinator. He was the youngest coach on this staff at 33 years old but is an up and coming name after helping develop Kyle Trask at Florida. I could see him being a future NFL Offensive Coordinator especially if he is able to fix Wentz's issues, or develop Jalen Hurts. 

On defense:

LB coach Nick Rallis is just 27 years old. He is being hired away from the Vikings where he served as defensive quality control/assistant LB coach. He has been coaching for just 4 seasons after playing LB for Minnesota state. The key connection here is both Rallis and Gannon habe worked under Zimmer on the Vikings staff and both know his system well, which I expect to show in Gannon's play calling at times. Rallis has worked with Anthony Barr, and Erik Kendricks the last three seasons. You could argue Kendricks is coming off of his best season in 2020. 

Defensive backs will be coached by Dennard Wilson, and his assistant Jay Valai. Wilson has been an NFL coach since 2012 working for the Rams and most recently the Jets. He served as the defensive backs/passing game coordinator for the Jets for 19-20. Wilson is a former cornerback himself keeping up with the theme of hiring players that know their position first hand. Rodney McCleod has worked directly with Wilson with the Rams. 

Jay Valai has been coaching since 2016 but has coached in the NFL just 1 season, 2018 under Andy Reid with the Chiefs, other than that he coached in college. He has specifically been a cornerback coach in his past so there is speculation that he will serve in that same role or perhaps as assistant defensive backs coach. Either way he will directly with Wilson to help develop our secondary. This seems to signal a cloudy future for Marquand Manuel in Philly, reports are that Tim Hauck safety coach is out. 

Michael Clay just became the youngest current coordinator in the NFL. Clay a former LB jumped into coaching in 2014. This was actually just 1 season after making it into the NFL as an undrafted rookie with the Dolphins in 2013. His old college coach Chip Kelly brought him in as a coach with Philly, originally as a defensive assistant before moving to assistant special teams coordinator. He held this position in Philly for the 2015 season before following Kelly to San Francisco. From 2016-2020 he held this title sticking with the team even after Kelly was fired. In 2017 he actually also helped with strength and conditioning something that might be useful being that our strength and conditioning coach John Hingst is out. 

Tim Hauck reports are the long time Eagles assistant coach and former player will move on. If this offseason is any indication he might land with Detroit, or Indy reuniting with several former coworkers from Philly. Although I for one still think Hauck could have a home here in the same role even. If Valai is coaching cbs there is no reason why Hauck couldn't coach safeties with Wilson overseeing the position and the entire defensive passing game. 

Press Taylor has officially taken a passing game coordinator role with the Colts reuniting with Mike Groh, and Frank Reich. This is slightly funny because Taylor replaces Kevin Patullo who followed Sirianni to Philly. Taylor spent multiple years working directly with Reich, and later Groh so this move makes a lot of sense. Taylor could easily rehab his image as a future offensive coordinator or head coaching candidate by latching on here. 

John Hingst-has been with the Eagles since 2013, however we have a had a string of injuries at nearly every position in recent memory. Despite the constant changes in the sports medicine department Hingst never received any blame or questions about his role. It seems this might have finally changed as reports are that Hingst will be moving on in 2021. Despite a long history with the team I for one believe this is the right move. 

This means a minimum of the head coach, all 3 coordinators, his assistant head coach, and several position coaches that will not return in 2021. It remains to be seen if any coaches other than Stoutland are retained although I see room for a few names to be retained. With Mike Bartrum, Matt Burke, and Andrew Breiner having reasons to be retained as position coaches. 

Carson Wentz a bust or product if his surroundings?

Lately it's a weekly debate to be had, is Carson Wentz an elite qb stuck with below average talent, or is he an average qb that can't elevate the talent around him? Some will point to guys like Boston Scott, Greg Ward, and Richard Rodgers taking on larger roles as signs that Wentz is elevating the players around him, while some will argue the fact that he hasn't done enough with the players he has been given. I aim to find out exactly what the truth is and if Jalen Hurts is in line to replace Wentz as soon as next year. 

First I would like to take a snapshot of the career Wentz has had so far. Drafted 2nd overall in the 2016 NFL draft by the Eagles. At the time their roster had Sam Bradford, and Chase Daniels in the first and second spots. However that would change quickly, after Teddy Bridgewater's knee injury in Minnesota the Vikings gave up a first round pick and a conditional fourth round pick in 2018 for Bradford's services. This left Wentz to beat out a career backup in Chase Daniels. Wentz basically wasn't going to be left on the bench after this trade and he quickly showed enough to warrant faith in him as the starter. Wentz would start 16 games, which he has managed just one other time in his career in 2019. As a rookie Wentz threw a career high 607 passes, which he matched again in 2019, he completed 62% of his passes for 3,782 yards, 16 tds and 14 ints adding 150 rushing yards and 2 rushing tds. Not bad for a rookie which inspired confidence in him going forward. In 2017 he would play in just 13 games due to injury. Nick Foles would then close out the season and lead them on a story book run to Philadelphia's first Super Bowl victory. However that doesn't tell the whole story. Wentz was on pace for an MVP caliber season, while he was completing just over 60% of his passes he was averaging 7.5 yards per attempt, with 33 tds to just 7 ints. He also was enjoying better rushing statistics by averaging almost 1.5 yards per carry more despite more carries. Many believe had he not been injured the Eagles would still have hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, however that's an answer that we will never know. Instead Nick Foles was the most popular backup qb in the league but to avoid a qb controversy following more injuries to Wentz in the 2018 season they decided against using the franchise tag to retain Nick Foles who would sign with Jacksonville. Wentz in his defense had again been off to an impressive start to his season completing nearly 70% of his passes, throwing 3 times as many tds to ints and actually averaging more yards per attempt than in 2017. Which only further built the promise around him heading into 2019. Despite Nick Foles finishing out another season resulting this time in a loss the Eagles committed long term to Wentz. They handed him a 4 year $128 million contract with $107 million guaranteed. Proving their faith in the player they drafted just under four years prior. Wentz again topped 60% completion rate, this time tossing 27 tds to 7 ints, topping 4,000 yards for the first time in his career with guys being elevated from the practice squad on a weekly basis due to the sheer amount of injuries they had suffered. As a result of this his yards per attempt, first down %, qbr all dropped while Wentz was also sacked more often. However in 2020 the bottom has dropped out of the team. Wentz has looked terrible while again watching as his offensive line, running back room, and receiver groups have been decimated by injuries. They have had to start backups at every position outside of center and quarterback on offense this year. This has resulted in Wentz being pressured at an insane rate with his sack total already at 35 for 237 yards lost, his yards per attempt are down, in turn his explosive plays are down, first down % is down, tds are down, and ints are up but at what point do you blame the talent around him and stop blaming Carson or vice versa? 

Let's take a lot at the depth chart in each season and get a better idea of who he was working with each year and how it affected his performance. 

In 2016:

WR:Jordan Mathews, Nelson Agholor, Josh Huff

TE:Zach Ertz, Trey Burton, Brent Celek

RB:Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles

LT Jason Peters

LG Allen Barbre

C Jason Kelce

RG Brandon Brooks 

RT Lane Johnson 

Their depth on the offensive line was impressive with Isaac Seumalo, Stephen Wisniewski, Big V, and Dennis Kelly all players who started at one point or another in their careers or even this season. Now in 2016 Jason Peters managed to start all 16 games and has done so just 1 more time, in 2018, during Wentz's time as a starter. Barbre would play in just 12 games before Seumalo and Wisniewski took over due to injury. After the 2016 season these two players would ultimately replace Barbre as he was traded away. At center Jason Kelce has been a rock starting every game since Wentz was drafted. Brandon Brooks however has been the model of inconsistency Wentz has been faced with. Brooks is an all pro player when healthy however he has suffered two Achilles tears now, and a dislocated shoulder, causing him to miss the entire 2020 regular season, and the entire 2019 post season. Lane Johnson at right tackle hasn't started 16 games since 2015, the year before Wentz was drafted. Big V would start 10 games in his place. Jordan Mathews, and Agholor missed a combined 3 games, while Huff didn't even make the opening day roster. At tight end Zach Ertz was finally taking the reigns from Celek who was in the later stages of his career and simply wasn't the receiving threat Ertz was. Celek caught just 14 passes in 16 games that year as Ertz and Wentz quickly developed chemistry resulting in career highs for receptions, and tds for Ertz. Both Ryan Mathews, and Darren Sproles missed games as well, but together they managed to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing and produced 11 rushing. 

In 2017:

LT Jason Peters played in 7 games Big V started 9 games at LT and 1 at RT

LG Stefan Wisniewski started 11 games Issac Seumalo started 5 games 

C Kelce 16 games

RG Brandon Brooks 16 games

RT Lane Johnson 15 games 

TE Zach Ertz, Trey Burton, Brent Celek 

Combined for 110 receptions for 1,202 yards, and 14 tds

WR Alshon Jeffery caught 57 passes for 789 yards and 9 tds with Nelson Agholor catching 62 passes for 768 yards and 8 tds, Torrie Smith was essentially the 3rd WR catching 36 passes for 430 yards and 2 tds. 

RB LaGarrette Blount rushed for 766 yards on 173 carries, Jay Ajayi and Corey Clement totalled another 729 yards on the ground and the trio had 7 rushing tds

The talent was clearly at a higher level around Wentz resulting in an MVP level season, and less pressure in the pocket. 

In 2018: 

LT Jason Peters started 

LG Stefan Wisniewski started 7 games Isaac Seumalo started 9 games

C Kelce 16 games

RG Brandon Brooks 16 games

RT Lane Johnson 15 games 

TE Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, Josh Perkins

WR:

Alshon Jeffery 

Nelson Agholor 

RB:

Josh Perkins, Mike Wallace, Jordan Mailata, Jay Ajayi, Corey Clement, Mack Hollins, Richard Rodgers, Adam Zaruba, Toby Weathersby, and Bryce Treggs all finished the season on injured reserve. These players missed a combined 137 games. That's not even including the games missed by players who didn't end up on IR. 

The more I watch Carson Wentz the more I wonder if he will ever escape this realm of constantly being questioned as a starter. It's been nearly 3 years since the questions about his injuries piling up began, then it wasn't long after questions turned to his overall play, this season they have even turned to asking if Wentz should be benched. I will go out on a limb and say two things I inherently believe to be true. First of all I believe the Eagles truly spent a second round pick on Jalen Hurts due to his overall athleticism and versatility on offense, and had he been drafted on his merits as a qb alone and not as an athlete and potential offensive weapon he wouldn't have even made into the 3rd round. Second of all I believe when Howie Roseman drafted Hurts it was not to replace Wentz in the immediate future....if at all. I think Roseman was hoping 3 years down the line he was faced with a decision of turning over the reigns to a now experienced Hurts, or continuing with Wentz and trading away Hurts. I don't think he was ever expecting Hurts to be a replacement for Wentz, merely a productive player who also adds depth at qb in the mold of Taysom Hill. I believe the way Taysom Hill has been handled in New Orleans is going to start becoming a blueprint for how to construct a roster. Bring in an athletic backup qb as your third option at qb, keep a veteran ahead of him that knows the offense. Develop packages for him to use his athleticism while over time he develops as a quarterback as well. At some point if the plan works correctly you will get to a point where this former backup is now too valuable to use in a variety of roles and needs to either take over as starter, or move on to a qb needy team starting the process over again. Press Taylor was once quoted as saying the future of offense in the NFL is developing packages with two passers on the field. Immediately after his promotion to passing game coordinator he helps draft Jalen Hurts a man who caught passes, ran the ball, and passed the ball in college to prolific results.

With that being said I don't think Carson Wentz is in any danger of being benched even in 2021. I think this franchise is dedicated to Wentz and seeing where his true ceiling is at, and see if he is still the same qb that led them on the start of what became their first Super Bowl run. Wentz is still at this point a 27 year old quarterback who has helped lead Philly on their first Super Bowl run, was nearly a strong MVP candidate that same season until his injury, and he was the first 4,000+ yard passer in Eagles history just last year. Up until 2020, his stat line was: 56 games 2,055 attempts, 1,311 completions 63.79% completion rate 97 passing tds, to 35 ints 14,291 passing yards, 6.95 yards per attempt, adding 206 carries for 785 yards and 3 tds, as well as 2 receptions for 11 yards. 

Potential Landing Spots for Duce Staley

Duce Staley is the assistant head coach/rb coach for the Eagles. He started his career with a two year stint as a special teams quality control coach before moving to his more natural role of RB coach in 2013. By 2018 he had added the assistant head coach title, and by 2020 he served as interim head coach for a game so Staley is far from inexperienced having now been coaching for a decade since retiring.

Duce however being a former Eagles player has been a candidate for a promotion 3 separate times. First in 2016 when Doug Pederson was hired, again in the 2019 offseason when the Eagles decided a hivemind O.C. was better than one guy instead handing Duce AHC duties instead which seemed like a decent compromise until he was again passed up as the head coach proving his upward mobility within the organization simply doesn't exist. Due to this situation he has asked to be allowed to seek other positions. So the question becomes where could he land? 

My first and most likely landing spot is with Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh as the offensive coordinator. Staley once finished his career as a player with the Steelers, the year before Tomlin was hired. The Steelers have always been a run heavy team looking to defeat you by pounding the ball down your throat and Staley is the perfect candidate to carry on that legacy. The former RB, has developed some very talented backs under his watch and working with the talented younger guys he would have with Pittsburgh would just be his latest challenge and a fitting position for him to move on to filling out his resume to help his next interview for a head job. 

The second most likely landing spot is with the Chiefs as an Eric Bienemy replacement. While I believe Mike Kafka would be elevated as well to fill the whole perhaps we see a situation where Kafka takes on duties as a passing game coordinator and keeps his qb coach title, while the Chiefs bring in Staley as a RB coach and run game coordinator. Perhaps he even gets his assistant head coach title as well. He got his start as a player and later a coach under Andy Reid. It only makes sense Reid would consider him as a coach after his last 4 prominent understudies were former Eagles players. Doug Pederson, Matt Nagy, and Mike Kafka all suited up as QB'S under Reid, while Bienemy and Staley both played RB under Reid. Assuming Bienemey gets the Texans job which seems likely now, Staley is the most natural replacement as a plug and play coach. 

Chicago under former teammate and coach Matt Nagy would be a solid landing spot. Despite 10 seasons coaching RB'S Charles London their RB coach has accepted a position coaching QBs for Atlanta under Arthur Smith. Leaving a vacancy at the position Staley knows best. Also departing is Dave Ragone who served as passing game coordinator last season despite having offensive coordinator Bill Lazor in place who is a former QB coach. Why not have Lazor take over coaching QBs again and split his coordinating duties. Allow Duce to come in and serve as RB coach and run game coordinator while Lazor takes on QBs, and still has final say as offensive coordinator. Seems like a solid situation being that Lazor coached with Staley in Philly in 2013. 

Seattle is looking for an offensive coordinator for their run first offense. Although there are no formal connections between Staley and Carroll, the Seahawks have reached out to former head coach Doug Pederson, and were rumored to be interested in Mike Kafka as well. Duce Staley might be a better fit than either of the other men. Staley has been able to coach up several less talented players than those that the Seahawks already have in Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny, Carlos Hyde, Deejay Dallas, and Travis Homer. Personally knowing Staley's track record of producing successful backs nearly every year, I think he might be the best fit for Seattle. He would bring a mentality that would take pressure off of Wilson, and allow for a lot more play action, and run pass option type plays creating more one on one match ups outside, and drawing the safeties into the box. Pete Carroll would be smart to call up Staley. 

Detroit might be looking for a new RB coach if Dan Campbell wants to bring in his own guys. Staley and Campbell both played similar stretches in the NFL Staley played from 97-06, while Campbell played from 99-09. Campbell's entire career came in the NFC, including his first seven seasons were played in the NFC East with the Giants and Cowboys so I'm willing to bet they know each other well enough that Staley should get some consideration for the RB coach role, perhaps with run game coordinator added. Staley has a few other ins with Detroit, former teammate Hank Fraley was retained as the offensive line coach, and Dave Fipp is expected to be hired away from the Eagles as special teams coordinator. Staley would immediately be blessed with one of the most talented backfield he has ever had with DeAndra Swift, and Kerryon Johnson on board. The fact that Anthony Lynn was hired as offensive coordinator will only make this job more enticing by allowing Staley to have upward mobility within the organization because at some point it's likely Anthony Lynn will seek another head coaching position sooner rather than later. 

Last but not least Jacksonville is assembling a rather star studded staff and I believe a lateral move to RB Coach/Assistant Head Coach would be worthwhile for Duce. Urban Meyer is a very well known and respected coach which would give Duce yet another checkmark on his resume that he is working to build toward a head coaching position. Staley helped the Steelers win a super bowl as a player under Bill Cowher, then later developed a run game featuring Jay Ajayi, Lagarrette Blount, and Corey Clement that led to a Super Bowl Victory under Doug Pederson, spent the majority of his career under Andy Reid who has now had one of the most successful coaching trees in the NFL in recent memory. Add to all that being the right hand man to Urban Meyer in his first NFL gig and show success in this role? All of a sudden your name will be hotter than Eric Bienemy in a short time. Staley is still just 45 years old and has just 10 years as a coach under his belt so far so he has time to continue building his resume while learning from a legend. 

A look ahead at the potentially crazy 2021 qb market

With 7 teams firing their head coaches, and several more replacing prominent personnel executives there is bound to be change especially at the league's most important position: Quarterback. If you're anything like I am a true football nerd the offseason when coaching changes, free agency and the draft occur is my favorite time of the year. Watching as franchises lay the building blocks for a dynasty, or make the mistakes that doom their tenure. Which is why this offseason has it all. You have a team in Houston potentially at a breaking point with their franchise qb with rumors of a blockbuster trade that we will touch on afoot, you have a team in the Colts that have their top 2 qbs both whom have started for them headed toward free agency on a roster built for success, you have a team in New England searching for an identity, a team in San Francisco whose starting qb was benched several times due to ineffectiveness, as well as controversies in Philadelphia, and potentially Dallas to sort out. It doesn't stop there either so let's dive right into the nitty gritty and start with the teams whose quarterbacks are headed toward free agency.

I will break this into 3 categories;

1.Starting level talent

2.Borderline starter/high level backups

3.backup level 

In our first category the cream of the crop is none other than Dak Prescott. 

1. Dak Prescott checks most of the boxes you could want in an impending free agent qb, he has had an ongoing valuation arguement with his team which leads one to believe he may actually wind up available. He is young and likely not at his ceiling developmentally, just 27 years old there is little doubt he will recover from his broken ankle and return to his probowl form in 2021. I still believe the Cowboys don't let him out of town but stranger things have happened. 

2. Phillip Rivers is nearing age 40, a feat that has been conquered often by his contemporaries however Rivers is fresh off of a 1 year contract in which he lost a playoff game, which in itself wouldn't be enough to move on if it wasn't for his record of losing close games through out his career. Rivers is likely back in Indy unless they make a move for a young but established starter like Carson Wentz, Jimmy G, or DeShaun Watson. More on them later. Rivers has since announced his retirement although he retires as a free agent allowing him to sign a deal if he so chooses. 

3. Mitchell Trubisky is headed toward free agency after the Bears declined his 5th year option. He is still just 26 years old with prototypical size at 6'2 220 lbs. In 51 games Trubisky has completed 64% of his passes throughout his career passing for 64 tds 37 ints, and 10,609 yards. Most likely didn't notice but he actually had one of his best statistical seasons in 2020. He had a qbr of 93.5 second highest of his career, 67% completion rate highest of his career, 6.9 yards per completion second highest of his career, he had over 41% 1st down rate highest of his career, despite the second least amount of passing attempts of his career he had just 1 less td than he managed in 2019 despite 219 more passing attempts. He also tossed the second least amount of ints in his career with 8. He isn't your typical dual threat qb but he has the mobility to run when needed with over 1,000 career rushing yards and 8 tds. I personally think the Patriots should consider looking at signing him if he makes it to free agency. In my eyes he is this year's Jameis Winston a guy who could still start immediately but might have to look into taking a 1 season backup role to rehab his image. 

4. Jameis Winston was once a top overall pick so there is no doubt the physical tools are there the question with him is his decision making, accuracy and attitude. His last outing with the Saints resulting him being benched the following week for Sean Payton's man crush Taysom Hill. Winston was more a victim of circumstance here than anything. Hill knows this offense as well as anyone, Winston got an abbreviated offseason to learn an offense that was foreign to him then got put in a game relatively early in the season on a short leash. His stats in this one game are not even worth mentioning but this is still a young qb that threw for over 4,000 yards and 30 tds recently and could in the right system thrive. 

5. Cam Newton struggled to learn the Josh McDaniels offense and it showed but you can't simply dismiss everything Newton is still physically capable of doing on a football field. To me this is more about fit than anything. He needs to find the right system, and in my eyes if he can't land a starting job the Ravens might want to consider bringing him in to replace RGIII who was let go. 

6. Andy Dalton might be 34 years old in 2021 but he still played decently for a guy who was regarded as someone who might now be a career backup at this stage of his career. However in 2020 he played in 11 games passing for 2,160 yards 14 tds 8 ints completing 64% of his passes along the way. I could see him landing a job somewhere as a bridge qb, or staying in Dallas as their backup to Dak or bridge to their next qb. 

7. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a guy who is as intelligent and experienced as they come but also as inconsistent and maddeningly terrible at times. Heading into his 17th season it seems to me he will have a job somewhere as long as he wants to play due to his ivy league intelligence and ability to learn any playbook quickly. He has started games for 8 teams in his career and it wouldn't surprise me to see him make it 9 in 2021. Perhaps he lands back in Miami as Tua's backup again. I would consider him the last legitimate potential starter of the free agent qbs. 

Which brings me to the tier of borderline starters or high value backups. 

8. Tyrod Taylor is extremely close to still being a starting level qb however there is still a large question as to how he will recover after a punctured lung, or how the league views him at this point after he spent the past 2 seasons as a backup for the Chargers. Personally I still think he could be a decent starter, but at this point his best options will be backup jobs. He likely could be another candidate to replace RGIII in Baltimore where he was originally drafted in the 5th round. His style of play is similar enough that they wouldn't need to alter their system if Lamar Jackson got hurt. 

9. Jacoby Brissett is probably one of the best backup qbs in the league. He has experienced long stretches as a starter but never performed well enough to win the job outright but never performed poorly enough that his teammates or coaches lost faith in his ability to lead them to a victory. He has only taken a backseat to elite level quarterbacks in Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, and Phillip Rivers and that's for good reason, on any other team he would likely be challenging for a starting job. I am a huge fan of Brissett and I think his ideal landing spot is Denver. Drew Lock is still too young to replace with a draft pick but bringing in experienced competition, is a smart move and one they should absolutely make.

10. Joe Flacco is a long time starter at the point in his career where he is seen as past his prime and as a backup level qb at this point. He still has NFL level arm strength but I think he is past the point of throwing 70 yard bombs. This guy has played 13 years in the NFL and up until the last 3 seasons was the full time starter. He is extremely experienced and at this point best suited for a mentor role behind a young qb or as a short term bridge qb. He could wind up resigning in New York depending on how the cards fall with Sam Darnold. 

11. Mike Glennon is headed toward free agency after he spent the 2020 season with the Jaguars bouncing in and out of the lineup. He had a rough year completing over 60% of his passes but throwing more ints than tds. In each of the last 5 seasons Glennon has suited up and played for a different team. During this stretch playing for the Buccaneers, Bears, Cardinals, Raiders, and Jaguars. I have a hunch he will be looking for team number 6 in 2021. 

12. Geno Smith is now 30 years old, and has spent the last 2 seasons with the Seahawks as a backup to Russell Wilson who never gets hurt. He saw some action in garbage time in 2020 but didnt play at all in 2019. 2018 he was in San Diego as the backup to Phillip Rivers another guy who rarely misses time. His career is one of the most odd I have ever seen, he was a 2 year starter with the Jets his first two seasons playing in 30 games. Year 3 comes in 2015, the Jets had signed Ryan Fitzpatrick but expected him to be the backup until a LB punched Smith in the mouth effectively ending his career as a starter in one brutal punch that broke his jaw. Smith since that day has appeared in just 10 games. His stats were far from impressive as a starter and he is likely going to be a career backup at this point. 

13. Colt McCoy is the definition of a journeyman but is a well liked guy who has continued to find backup jobs based on his athletic ability, experience and team first attitude. The former Texas Longhorn QB played for the Giants under Joe Judge in 2020 where he was asked to play in 4 games. He helped close out a win against Cincinnati and then went on to start against and beat the Seahawks outscoring Russell Wilson. He unfortunately went on to lose the following two games but showed enough to earn a contract extension with the Giants. After 11 years the 34 year old is aware of the fact that he is a backup at this point and has settled into that role being that his last major action was in his second season with the Browns who drafted him as a 3rd round pick. 

14.  Cj Beathard is heading into his 5th season, his previous 4 were spent under Kyle Shanahan one of the most respected offensive minds in the NFL. Over the 4 years it is clear he has developed although he has repeatedly been relegated to the backup role. In 2020 he was the beneficiary of Jimmy G and Nick Mullens suffering from injuries and inconsistent play. He would play in 6 games completing 63% of his passes for 7.6 yards per attempt both of which were career highs. He also had 6 tds and 0 ints proving his propensity to protect the football, which is the main area he has improved upon is his accuracy and decision making which I believe is the direct influence of Shanahan. In my eyes Beathard is an under rated backup candidate and could find himself in New York as a backup under his former coach Mike LaFluer assuming they don't bring back Flacco. He us still younger, and could potentially be a high upside backup having played in just 19 games. 

Past this point you will find tier 3 or the now career backups with little upside. 

15. Blaine Gabbert is now 31 years old, and was the backup to Tom Brady in 2020. He played in 4 games tossing 16 passes with 9 completions, for 143 yards 2 tds 0 ints. He is another journeyman QB that has developed into a solid backup qb but is not someone you want to count on for any prolonged stretch as a starter. He has had issues protecting the ball at times which is why he isn't higher on this list. In fact for his career he has 50 passing tds, 47 ints, fumbled 14 times, but added 3 rushing tds. He is nothing more than a short term answer on a team with an established starter. 

16. Brian Hoyer has been around the block, playing in 70 games over a 12 season career with 6 different teams. He has started at times but typically as no more than a second option when needed. Hoyer at this point is 35 years old and on the back 9 of his career and likely not even at a point where most teams would consider him a number 2 option after watching the coach who knows him best relegating him to 3rd string behind Cam Newton, and Jarrett Stidham who both struggled.

17. Robert Griffin III was recently released by the Ravens but cannot sign with any playoff teams. He was ineffective in a couple appearances and the Ravens spent a draft pick on Trace McSorley who might be ready to take the number 2 role in 2021 if the Ravens don't look to Tyrod Taylor or Cam Newton instead. RGIII is a veteran who has seen the highest of highs an individual player can have by being named offensive rookie of the year to being out of the league for a year. He is still a valuable backup due to his athleticism but he is long past being a starter and might not find much interest this offseason. 

18. Aj Mccaaron will be 31 years old in 2021, but has not appeared in more than 7 games his entire 6 year career. On several occasions he appeared in just 2 to 3 games. He has the required arm talent but due to his age, and poor decision making in his last several games and his lack of starting experience he will be spending the rest of his career trying to beat out younger draft picks for roster spots as a relatively low level backup qb. He could wind up staying in Houston but this entire offseason will prove to be out of the norm being that there is expected to be a dramatic drop in cap space. 

19. Nate Sudfeld is a younger QB who was once upon a time a 7th round pick and practice squad player for the Redskins before the Eagles signed him off their practice squad and held on to him for the following 4 seasons. Sudfeld held onto the 3red string role for the Eagles for 2 years before Nick Foles was let go and Sudfeld was expected to be the top backup, instead he got injured and Josh McCown was signed to be the top backup. In 2020 Sudfeld was expected to finally be the top backup qb until the Eagles drafted a qb in the 2nd round, Hurts went on to claim the backup job and Sudfeld was relegated to 3rd string. People within the Eagles building have raced about Sudfeld saying he is a future starter but if that's the case why hasn't he been given the chance to even be the backup? In week 17 Pederson finally gave Sudfeld a chance to shine putting him in down by 3 against his former team. Sudfeld responded by going 5 for 12 for 32 yards 0 tds, 1 int. Not exactly the stat line you want right before free agency when you're a 27 year old 5th year veteran looking for a new job. I could see him being a target for the Jets, or Colts as a potential backup or 3rd string qbs. 

20. Blake Bortles is a 7 year veteran and former first round pick who couldn't even manage to crack the lineup for the Broncos last season, who had Jeff Driskel as a backup prior to signing Bortles to the practice squad...ah yes the twilight zone that is 2020 where a 7 year veteran can be signed to the practice squad for the first time. He heads into the 2021 offseason a free agent having waited to sign a deal last offseason before settling on a practice squad spot. The sad part is Bortles is not a terrible qb, but he hasn't had a chance to prove himself since leaving Jacksonville and might never have that chance. 

21. Matt Barkley, somehow the top backup to Josh Allen who runs the ball often, is headed to free agency having tossed just 11 career tds to 22 ints. Buffalo was thrilled with him as a player after signing him late in the 2019 season when they were in a pinch. He went on to earn an extension to stay for 2020. However his play the last two seasons hasn't inspired confidence. 

22. Sean Mannion, is headed into his 7th season in the NFL after spending time as the backup to Jared Goff with the Rams for 4 years, and Kirk Cousins in Minnesota for 2 years. However despite throwing 74 passes and completing over 60% of his throws he has not thrown a single td passing put up 3 ints. He is not at all mobile and has simply bounced from one offense to another due to his knowledge of the system. He is a candidate for the 49ers, Rams, Jets, and Vikings. Basically any team that runs the Shanahan system. 

That about sums up the unresteicted free agents but there are still interesting names on the restricted free agent list, or exclusive rights free agent list. 

First on this list is Nick Mullens,in my eyes he is a high level backup with the upside to be a starter, in fact I believe he returns to San Francisco and challenges for the starting job whether they move on from Jimmy G or not. Mullens was an undrafted free agent just 3 years ago out of Southern Mississippi. He has played in 19 games completing 387 of 600 passes for 4,714 yards, 25 tds and 22 ints 7.9 yards per attempt. Proving he has the talent to play in this league he just needs to cut down on mistakes to become a starting level talent. 

Josh Rosen was signed off of the Buccaneers practice squad by the 49ers making them his 4th team in just 3 seasons. He is an exclusive rights free agent and the 49ers lose nothing by keeping him around as competition or as a developmental prospect. He is still just 23 years old so he has time to learn to cut down on mistakes, and improve his accuracy but a below 55% completion rate, and 12 to 19 td to int ratio isn't doing him any favors even though everyone is aware the two teams he suited up for were messes.

Kyle Allen is headed into his 4th season. He spent his entire 3 year career under Ron Rivera, in 2018 he was signed as an undrafted free agent as an emergency QB behind Cam Newton, and Taylor Heineke. Both wound up getting injured paving the way for Allen to start and play well ultimately earning himself the number 2 role behind Newton which would prove to be important in 2019 when Newton suited up for just 3 games. Allen went on to start 13 games completing over 60% of his passes, for 3,322 yards, 17 tds and 16 ints. Rivera was fired after the season but quickly hired by the Washington Football Team, where he wasted very little time before trading for Kyle Allen to compete with Dwayne Haskins, and Alex Smith for the starting job. Ultimately Allen played in 4 games playing his best football yet completing just under 69% of his passes for 610 yards, 4 tds 1 int. He is an exclusive rights free agent and someone Rivera no doubt wants to retain. 

Jake Rudock was once touted as a highly thought of backup qb. 5 years later he has managed to hold down the 3rd string role in Miami after beginning his career in Detroit. However despite the hype around him no team has given him the chance to be the top backup for long. He is likely a journeyman 3rd string qb at best in 2021.

Tim Boyle the Green Bay Packers 3rd string qb is headed toward free agency. He is just 26 years old with 3 years experience in the NFL. He stands 6'4 232 lbs prototypical size for an NFL qb and he will likely find another job based on that and the fact that he sat behind Rodgers learning under LaFluer and McCarthy. His lack of mobility might prove to be an issue but his size and strength equate to an NFL caliber arm.

We aren't done yet. I saved the best group for last the trade candidates this group couldn't be anymore tantalizing than it is. 

The top prospect is Deshaun Watson of the Texans. Watson has become disenchanted with the team that drafted him and later handed him over $100 million on his second contract due to personnel and front office moves that weren't run by him after being told the franchise would give him transparency, something he hasn't had in the past. However they didn't uphold this bargain instead hiring a GM without talking to him at all. Watson would warrant multiple first round picks and possibly more to acquire as he should. He is a virtual can't miss qb at this point. 

Carson Wentz might be floated in trade rumors after being benched this season for 2nd round pick Jalen Hurts. Wentz was said to be unhappy with the franchise but that was before they fired their coach. It remains to be seen if this former league MVP candidate gets moved or if the Eagles attempt to patch things up and move on. If he is moved Indianapolis makes too much sense and is likely where his value is highest. The Colts might be the only team willing to give up a first round pick. Especially being that Rivers retired, and Brissett is a free agent.

Gardner Minshew was a hit with the Naguars as a rookie so they gave him a chance in 2020 and it didnt pan out as they had hoped, or did it? The Jaguars secured the top pick after winning just 1 game leading some to believe Minshew might be on the move to a team interested in the mustache rocking maven who created a media frenzy complete with it's own name "Minshew Mania" might be coming to a town near you for the low low price of a 5th or 6th round pick. Minshew might stick around as a backup with the Jaguars. 

Derek Carr has been rumored to be in the Jon Gruden dog house since day 1, last season he finally signed a qb who could step in as a starter if Carr got traded. Marcus Mariota is a former starter turned Carr's backup but he could be the reason the Raiders move on in 2021. Only time will tell. I believe the Raiders could get a 2nd round pick in return from the right team being that Carr is a career starter. 

Jimmy Garrappolo has fallen out of favor in San Francisco but they may as well try and get something in return for him especially being that his former coach Bill Belicheck who didn't want to let him go in the first place needs a qb now. The Patriots would likely jump at the chance to acquire Garrappolo for a 4th or 5th round pick. 

Nick Foles is still under contract for the Bears but with Mitch Trubisky having played well toward the end of his season Foles might be the next qb to get traded. He is pretty familiar with Nagy which may lead him to getting one last chance to be a bridge qb for Chicago but we shall see what the future holds. 

Matthew Stafford is another name that has been tossed around in trade rumors, honestly this is something I hope happens. Stafford is one of those good guys you have to root for the perennial under dog who still plays through injury to start even though it's been for a bad team much of his career. He is a guy I feel would fit well in Denver with Pat Shurmur as his offensive coordinator, as well as built in weapons in Noah Fant, Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Kj Hamler, Melvin Gordon, and Phillip Lindsay probably the most talent he would have ever been surrounded by. 

Josh McDaniels to Philly?

The Eagles have apparently begun zeroing in on their next head coach and it isn't who I was hoping but he is still a promising candidate, and depending on your perspective the indirect cause for the downfall of Doug Pederson in Philly. None other than Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. 

[On a side note what is with the Eagles going after the former Broncos coaches? Last season it was Scangarello, this year McDaniels whose next Adam Gase for OC?]

Josh McDaniels was all but set to become the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts before having a last second change of heart even after some assistants had agreed to take jobs with the team. To which I say, that's why you don't leak things to the press before they're official suckers. Anyway this as we know led to Frank Reich fresh off a Super Bowl victory versus McDaniel's Patriots being hired instead. Due to this the Eagles lost the man many believe was the person who balanced out Pederson's play calls. After Reich the highly experienced coordinator left Pederson kept hiring first time coordinators who knew his system from being his assistant coaches. These guys however did not call their own plays. Just 3 years removed from their 2017 Super Bowl victory Pederson is searching for a job while Philly might be hiring McDaniels to replace him. Oh what a tangled web we weave...

So does McDaniels actually deserve a second chance after getting fired midway through his second season as the head coach in your Denver after a very Patriots scandal was discovered by the NFL? I for one believe that he does in fact deserve a second chance as a head coach, and Philly might be the place he can find at least short term success. 

Philadelphia offers a very different situation than Denver or New England. In those places the owners are involved but not meddlesome when it comes to assistant coaches, or other coaching decisions and typically allow their coaches autonomy to act as they desire to an extent, or no extent in New England...Philadelphia is not that way and it's never been more evident than this past season when their first losing record since 2016 resulted in the firing of their head coach due to philosophical differences stemming from proposed player and coaching changes from the front office and owner. Maybe this is what McDaniels needs to avoid him to going too far like he did in Denver. Maybe pairing him with a salary cap wizard like Roseman and allowing there to be a partnership on talent evaluation, while having an owner whose culture is very important to him stepping in when things get a little too Belicheckian, is exactly what he needs to reign him in and allow him to be successful at the same time. One main reason he could be successful in Philly is Lurie's desire for a new offensive system. 

Josh McDaniels has always run a spread based scheme with elements of wthe west coast offense to almost lull the defense into guarding the short and intermediate routes to open up the big play for their deep threat receiver. He thrives on athletic tight ends, and pass catching running backs but loves to keep a power runner in his back pocket for when the situation arises. When looking at the fit of his scheme and the players we already have on the team it makes some sense that they are looking to him to help their offense. His offense would be able to use Jalen Reagor as their deep threat out wide or have him operate in the slot, with DeSean Jackson or Greg Ward filling the other role. He will have a field day with a running back like Miles Sanders, he has never quite had a back with the type of dual threat ability that Sanders displays. Which brings me then to our tight ends, whether he keeps Zach Ertz and let's Goedert leave in free agency or trades Ertz and resigns Goedert the Eagles still have Richard Rodgers, Jason Croom, and Hakeem Butler to compete for that second tight end role. Jordan Howard is also still around should he fit the bill for McDaniels version of a powerful back for short yardage situations. 

The thing that intrigues me is the coaches he could bring along. It is rumored that he could bring Jerod Mayo along with him as his defensive coordinator. Mayo jumped into coaching just 2 seasons ago and he is already interviewing for head coaching positions. At 34 years old he is likely a year or two away from being ready to run a team but running his own defense is far less of a stretch of the imagination being that during his time with the Patriots as a player he served as a captain, and defensive play caller in the huddle. He had to understand where his teammates should be at on every play, and handle audibles when needed. Mayo was well respected as a player during his career due to his lunch pail attitude that personifies the Patriot way;Do Your Job. Mayo would likely bring with him a 3-4 defense changing up another scheme we have used in Philly for the better part of 2 decades. McDaniels might be able to talk his former mentor Romeo Crennel into coming in as a senior advisor the same position he held when he mentored Mike Vrabel as the coordinator in Houston. McDaniels served as a defensive assistant under Crennel in 02 and 03. 

Chad O'Shea was the offensive coordinator for the Dolphins in 2019 before being fired. He then latched on with the Browns as WR coach and passing game coordinator and quickly helped lead them to the playoffs. He also has worked under McDaniels before and is regarded as a potential replacement for him in New England as the coordinator. However I think McDaniels will lure him to join his staff as his offensive coordinator. Another potential candidate is Charlie Weis who served as the Patriots coordinator when McDaniels was hired as a personnel assistant. He worked under Weis as his qb coach in 2004 the year before Weis accepted the had coaching position at Notre Dame. Weis hasn't coached since the 2014 season and hasn't coordinated an offense since 2011 when he served as the coordinator for Florida however it would make for an intriguing hire. Speaking of the Weis's...

Charlie Weis Jr. is the current offensive coordinator/qb coach for South Florida. He could be a candidate for the QB coach position. McDaniels has always overseen his own QBs in the past but gave those duties to Mike McCoy, more on him later, when he was hired in Denver. 

Mike McCoy could be another candidate for either the qb coach or offensive coordinator opening or both if McDaniels really wants to go back down that road. McCoy was fired in 2018 by the Cardinals less than halfway through the season in his only season with the team. His 2017 stint with the Broncos as coordinator also didn't last a full season. On second thought maybe qb coach only...

Matt Patricia the man who served as the defensive coordinator in New England could be another candidate to coordinate McDaniels's defense. Patricia was a solid coordinator which is the entire reason he was able to land a head coaching job although it didn't work out. Patricia is another guy who might land in New England again in 2021. 

Eric Mangini is an interesting name for a couple reasons. First of all he is another former head coach who can lend some of his negative experiences to McDaniels and hopefully help make his second chance a lasting one, also Mangini has served on both sides of the ball. He spent 4 seasons as an offensive coach, 5 seasons as a head coach, 2 as a defensive coordinator, and another 8 seasons as a defensive assistant coach. He is a perfect candidate to serve as a position coach, perhaps DB's the position he coached in New England, or Tight Ends the position he last coached with the 49ers under Chip Kelly. (What was I saying about that tangled web) he could also carry the assistant head coach title aiding McDaniels directly. 

Keith Burns a former special teams ace as a player was the assistant special teams coordinator under McDaniels. He was actually hired 2 seasons before McDaniels and lasted 2 seasons afterward. He was hired as the Redskins special teams coordinator in 2013, But was fired along with his former coach Mike Shanahan who had offered him the job in the first place. Burns was out of the NFL for 5 seasons before former teammate Anthony Lynn called him to join his staff with the Chargers. Lynn would later demote George Edward's and promote Burns in his place in 2020. However when Lynn was fired Burns became available for hire as the Chargers have already allowed Gus Bradley out of his contract. 

Anthony Lynn is actually a candidate for a running back coach position, although it would likely have to come with an assistant head coach title. He could be a candidate as a coordinator although I believe his lack of experience in that position makes it less likely. 

Ironically Adam Gase could be a candidate for just about any offensive position available. He has served as a wide receiver coach under McDaniels in Denver, coached quarterbacks under Mike McCoy, and later ran offenses and spent 4 seasons as a head coach. Why not build a star studded staff and try and bring him in to again run an offense, coach qbs or wrs. 

Current area scout for the Detroit Lions Roman Phifer might be a candidate to take a defensive coaching role as the LB coach if the price is right. He served as the assistant linebackers coach under Don Martindale but hasn't coached since. 6 years later he got into the front office side of things with UNLV, and now Detroit who just fired its GM and could look to replace their scouts next. 

Mike Nolan formerly the Cowboys defensive coordinator until he was fired in 2020 served in the same role under McDaniels in Denver in 2009 after being fired as the head coach of the 49ers. Nolan however is a great LB coach and if Phifer isn't your guy then Nolan should be. He has 12 seasons coaching LB's, and another 18 years as a coordinator with stops with the Giants, Redskins, Jets, Ravens, Broncos, Dolphins, Falcons, and Cowboys. He has experience with a 3-4 or 4-3 and if Mayo is anything like his predecessors from New England he will want to run a versatile front shifting between 3 and 4 down linemen sets. He also spent 1 season a piece as a WR coach, and a DL coach so those are possibilities as well. 

Honestly I was torn about this hire at first but there isn't a more qualified candidate on the market than McDaniels. I truly believe he will actually bring Wentz back to his probowl level while also finding a role in the offense for Hurts, while he also serves as his backup qb. He may not be a popular hire due to his past but he might be the right hire. 

The coach I most want in Philly

I have seen the wide net cast for coaches and I am on one hand glad they are searching for their right coach high and low but I fear they're slow playing the candidate who might be perfect for them. While I ultimately believe this man will be hired by another team, namely the Texans, I believe Brian Daboll is the best candidate for our opening. 

I know Brian Daboll is a relatively new name to most fans in terms of hot coaching names but it's likely due to circumstance more than anything else. Daboll started his career like most coaches do as a graduate assistant in college. However his ascent from this position into the NFL was much quicker than most low level and relatively unknown candidates. It took him just 3 years before he landed a job under first year head coach Bill Belicheck as a defensive assistant working under directly under him being that he served as his own coordinator that year. He would serve in this role for 2 seasons before moving to offense as a WR coach from 02-06. At this point he was working under coordinator Charlie Weis. 

During his first year as the wide receivers coach he worked with Troy Brown, David Patten, and Donald Hayes who were veterans, David Givens, and Deion Branch who were both rookies. As a group these men produced 279 receptions on 375 targets or a catch rate of just under 60% solid if not impressive in my eyes. This group produced 2,428 yards through the air, and produced 13 tds. This accounted for 64% of the team's passing yards and just under half of its 28 passing tds. Not bad, honestly it seems to me the Patriots had the most consistent success from their wide receiver group under Daboll. It was after he left that the group was plagued with inconsistency and saw a revolving door of new faces since. 

Ultimately after the 2006 season, Daboll followed Eric Mangini to New York where the latter was hired as head coach. Mangini brought Daboll in as his qb coach from 2006-2008 when Mangini was let go from the Jets but immediately hired by the Browns. In 2009 Daboll again followed Mangini this time as his offensive coordinator. He would spend two seasons in this role with the Browns. Mangini was again fired after the 2010 season and Daboll was subsequently hired in Miami under Tony Sparano one of the premier offensive line coaches and innovative mind that brought the wildcat to the NFL. However after the 2011 season Sparano was fired despite Daboll improving the team's offense from 30th to 20th. 

The firing of Sparano could have been the last chance for Daboll if it wasn't for his former mentor Romeo Crennel calling him to come be his offensive coordinator. Daboll agreed making this 3rd stop in just 3 seasons all under different coaches as a coordinator, and 5th stop in his last 7 seasons. Crennel lasted just 1 season in Kansas City which meant Daboll also only lasted one year meaning he was back to New England for his second stint. This time he held the tight ends coach role from 2013-2016. During this stretch he helped Rob Gronkowski climb to new heights, while also being tasked with moving on from Aaron Hernandez the season following his incarceration. This might have been his best work which also led him to be hired by Alabama as its coordinator. Considering we are talking about a guy who held 3 coordinator jobs in 3 years, and in each stop the head guy was fired it's a true testament to the respect Daboll and his play calling abilities had earned. It took just 1 season in this role before he was again in the NFL as a coordinator. 

Sean McDermott is a product of the Andy Reid system, so it was somewhat an odd match when McDermott hired Daboll to be his coordinator. Why you ask? In 2004 Brian Daboll helped coach the Deion Branch the man that torched McDermott's DB's, who was the assistant DB coach in Philly, for 133 yards tying a Super Bowl record on his way to a Super Bowl MVP. This must have stuck in his mind. Just 12 years later he was hiring Daboll and forming the tandem that would bring Buffalo back to a Championship game. Daboll has overseen receivers, quarterbacks, and tight ends, has experience on defense, and now has worked under Bill Belicheck, learned about Reid's system from McDermott, and also coached under Nick Saban. We are talking about 3 of the most successful head coaches in the history of their respected levels of football, as well as one of the hottest up and coming head coaches in McDermott. Paving the way for a successful first trip as a head coach where ever he may land. 

Update: After the Bills' victory Daboll decided to stay put in Buffalo instead of pursuing a head coaching job. With this being said I don't think the Eagles should simply take this as set in stone. It wouldnt be the first time they wooed their head coach on the second try. 

Making the case for a 3-4 in Philly

The Philadelphia Eagles have some run some version of the wide 9 defensive alignment for nearly 2 decades. They clung to the system under Andy Reid scrambling to find a coordinator to run the defense after the death of the Master of the wide 9 defense in 2009. Sean McDermott, and Juan Castillo were looked to as candidates to continue coaching the system this team had thrived on for years. They have incorporated another system for just 3 seasons under Billy Davis and Chip Kelly. When Kelly was fired the Eagles decided if they couldn't rehire Reid they would bring in Doug Pederson, and Jim Schwartz. Pederson spent 8 years under Reid as a player and a coach. Schwartz was a fan of the system, and learned the ins and outs from defensive line coach Jim Washburn who he worked with in Tennessee. However with Schwartz out I think it is time for a change in the scheme this team has been obsessed with for years decades now. In particular I believe a change to a 3-4 defense is in order. 

Obviously most people who watch football regularly understand the differences between a 3-4 and a base 4-3 alignment which is the front a wide 9 incorporates. Obviously you have 3 down linemen and 4 linebackers versus 4 down linemen and 3 linebackers. Typically the type of linemen for each system is very important to their success. In a 4-3 you opt for smaller defensive ends typically 270 lbs and under looking for speed and agility to rush the passer while your interior linemen vary depending on philosophy but typically are in the 280-320 lbs range and are known for their strength. The 3-4 defense however relies on guys often referred to as "tweeners" the players whose skillset, and body type fit in between traditional positional norms. For instance a guy like Terrell Suggs who stands 6'3 255 lbs, he has played OLB in a 3-4 alignment his entire career and became a very prolific pass rusher without ever playing a traditional defensive end position in the NFL. The beauty of a switch to a system like this is the Eagles have several players on the roster that have positional flexibility already. 

As I mentioned above a team that wants to be successful needs a strong defensive line. What better line up for a 3 down linemen scheme than Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, and Malik Jackson? All 3 men have experience playing a 3-4 defense, Cox played end in a 3-4 under Billy Davis early in his career. Jackson played end in Denver under Wade Phillips. Hargrave spent his entire career until 2020 in a 3-4 defense in Pittsburgh playing end and later NT the position he would again play in Philly. Vinny Curry is another versatile guy who has played inside at tackle and outside at end making him a solid candidate to play end in a 3-4. Curry also played in a 3-4 early in his career under Davis, and would serve as the backup to Jackson. Hassan Ridgeway is a free agent and would be replaced with a more prototypical nose tackle. They ask Raequan Williams to slim down about 10 lbs and kick outside to defensive end behind Cox, where he will compete for time with Ty McGill who just signed an extension. Treyvon Hester is a guy who could theoretically play NT or DE and will likely be kept through camp to see where he fits. An outlier is 6'8 280 lb defensive end Matt Leo who might be a perfect developmental candidate at DE. Outside linebacker is where it gets interesting. 

The Eagles have several players that fit the body type of a 3-4 OLB but might be a little less than athletic enough to play in zone coverage when needed. Brandon Graham isn't the athlete he once was when he played OLB under Davis but will undoubtedly still be asked to stand up as a LB even if he is only used situationally as a pass rusher. Derek Barnett lacks the speed of a top flight OLB in a 3-4 alignment but was viewed as a potential OLB coming out of college. I personally think it actually might aid his development as a pass rusher giving him an ability to setup his pass rush moves as he approaches an opposing tackle. Behind these two you have two players who might be the one player who stand to benefit the most from this transition, Josh Sweat and Genard Avery. Avery has the most recent experience as a 3-4 LB and even showed success in that role before his trade to Philly. Sweat is an unbelievable athlete for a 4-3 defensive end, which likely stems from the fact that he was basically born to play in a 3-4. At 6'2 251 lbs he ran a 4.53 40 yard dash, a 4.28 20 yard shuttle,and put up a 39 inch vertical leap displaying his explosiveness. At Florida he played a hybrid LB/DE role but in this new scheme he will play strictly LB. Joe Ostman is another guy who fits the mold of a LB in fact last year he was talked up in a potential hybrid role playing some LB. Avery was actually added after an injury to Ostman. At 6'2 259 lbs Ostman is now a 3rd year veteran who has experience playing LB having played the position prior to moving to end in college. I believe he fits a stand up pass rushing role better than as a 4-3 end anyway. 

The move to a 3-4 benefits the Eagles as a team because it limits the need for more than 2 true linebackers on the field at anytime. Those two guys are your inside linebackers who are actually going to be somewhat protected with the fact that there will be another bigger bodied player attracting the attention of the offensive linemen. This would allow our top two LB's Nathan Gerry, and Tj Edwards to flow to the football and avoid the blockers altogether. Alex Singleton moves into a sort of hybrid role playing inside and outside. He was used to rush the passer quite a bit in his stint in the CFL so he should fit this role well. Davian Taylor, and Shaun Bradley would need to compete for playing time behind those 3 but with Gerry's contract expiring he may have less competition than I am projecting. 

This move does many things for this team. First of all I believe it would make better use of the tremendous depth they have on their defensive front. Use 5 rotating positions for this wealth of talent instead of 4 and each of these guys will likely be happier with more playing time. Suddenly your 3 tackle rotation becomes 3 starters where your rotation at end stays virtually the same except Curry will not be asked to act as a stand up pass rusher allowing for Sweat, Avery, or Ostman to get more snaps. Also the last and most important factor is it minimizes the need for dominant linebackers something the Eagles seem to have no desire in drafting or acquiring anyway. So why not shift to a 3-4 where suddenly you are lining up two pass rushers outside instead of true linebackers, while your inside backers can be comprised of all of the true LB's on your roster competing to fill 4 maybe 5 roster spots which can only aid in weeding out the dead weight. 

Also this move to a 3-4 could give them even more reason to move away from high priced veterans like Brandon Graham and Malik Jackson. Although fans at this point seem to understand we will be watching familiar faces leave this offseason one way or another. We still head into 2021 with 10 draft picks, and but sit roughly $58 million over the cap even after moves to restructure Malik Jackson and Alshon Jeffery's contracts immediately after the season ended. Which creates a large chance for change, may as well embrace the rebuild and find an entirely new identity on defense. 

So crazy it just might work...

If you follow my writing you will have noticed at times I let my imagination run wild with scenarios that might be possible, but are not exactly likely. This is one of those stories, but with the caveat that it might actually have a basis in reality. 

After this past weekend the top two picks in the draft were set in stone. The Jaguars will pick first, leaving them with the chance to draft golden boy QB Trevor Lawerence. The Jets however after winning just their 3rd game all season, but 2nd in a row, cemented their place in the 2nd overall pick. I know what you're thinking "The Jets are so bad at football they can't even tank correctly!", and you would be right. These wins solidify just one person's job and it is only ever so slightly. That's Sam Darnold...who helped avoid his team owning the top pick. While there is speculation that the Jets might still use this pick, possibly even on a QB such as Justin Fields, I expect them to trade out of the pick. So what teams would be interested?

A few teams might be looking to draft a quarterback this upcoming season not named the Jaguars or Jets. The Patriots aren't thrilled with the production from Cam Newton, the Colts will be looking for a long term answer at QB, the 49ers may be looking to move on from Jimmy G, the Lions are rumored to be considering moving on from Stafford, heck maybe the Raiders get crazy. Now of all these teams I see a couple that would be interested in moving up to that pick. The Patriots, are finishing up their worst season under Belicheck, they turned to Cam Newton to start at QB but he has thrown just 5 tds, producing passing numbers only Tim Tebow could be proud of. The foregone conclusion is Newton is not the longterm answer and their obviously doubts about Stidham as well, if you're going to draft and develop a QB this is the perfect timing. The 49ers really want to move on to a qb they can believe in, and rely on. Neither of which are true for Jimmy G since giving up a second round pick for him. The Colts are coming off another playoff season and still have a veteran stop gap QB playing at a high enough level to avoid a costly trade up right now. The Lions are a possibility but I struggle to see where Mathew Stafford would wind up if released or traded. 

So your three prime candidates here would be Indy, New England, or San Francisco. However I truly believe if Indy dips into the trade market to acquire a QB it will be to reunite Carson Wentz with Frank Reich. And then there were two....New England and San Francisco with two similar yet entirely different roster scenarios that could lead to different approaches to their qb search. 

New England under Belicheck has historically leaned toward veteran qbs especially when Brady wasn't the man lining up under center, whether it was Cam Newton, Matt Cassel, Brian Hoyer etc etc he wants a qb that will limit mistakes, command the huddle, and understand the system. That last part is key which is why I believe Cam Newton will not be returning to New England.  It's clear to everyone Cam was not adapting well to this system and I don't think the Patriots give him another year to figure it out unless it's another late offseason addition on the cheap like last year. No this year I believe they have their eyes set on a former prize whose value has sunk in recent seasons. Jimmy G has been the apple of Belicheck's eye since he spent a 2nd round pick on him years ago. He ultimately caved to ownership and traded Jimmy away for a 2nd round pick. But there is hope that he could be added again via trade this offseason. Jimmy G firs the profile of the Patriots solutions at qb. He has a ton of starts under his belt, he knows their offense, he just needs to work on limiting mistakes and staying healthy. Two things Bill is undoubtedly going to assume he can help fix. Behind Cam the Patriots have just Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer. Stidham was so unimpressive in his few starts that Newton was allowed to start the rest of the season despite just 5 td passes. 

But why would the 49ers move on from Jimmy G? Word on the street is Shanahan is intrigued by the possibilities of a more mobile qb in his offense. They have already flirted with replacing Jimmy starting Nick Mullen, and Cj Beathard although neither struck a chord either. It appears as if the team needs a new face and a fresh spark, one that a veteran QB I don't believe would give them. The Shanahan and Lynch combo have job security so now might be the time to draft and develop a QB. However they are currently slated to pick 15th which would require a hefty sum to move up from. The only issue with that is they only have their original picks from rounds 1-4 then hold 3 5th round picks, and 2 7th round picks. So they get creative. They call up New England knowing they want Jimmy G, but knowing they won't give up a first round pick straight across it requires even more creativity to get the compensation needed to make this work.  The 49ers offer up Jimmy G, their 2022 first round pick, and their additional 2021 5th round pick to the Patriots. 

The Patriots see an opportunity to go into 2021 with a qb they trust, whom they have no doubt will restructure his deal, then add a second first round pick in 2022 in case Jimmy G doesn't work out, or as ammunition to build around him further. In exchange for this security the Patriots send back their 2021 first round pick, their 2021 3rd round pick and a conditional 2022 5th round pick based on performance of Jimmy. This is where the Jets come in and turn this into a 3 team trade. The Jets in turn receive all of the draft picks coming from the Patriots to the 49ers for Jimmy G. The 49ers then sweeten the pot by adding their own 2021 first round pick, as well as their 5th and 7th round compensatory picks. 

That means the Jets receive:

A 2021 first round pick, 2021 third round pick and conditional 5th round pick in 2022 from the Patriots.

A 2021 first round pick, 5th round pick and 7th round pick from the 49ers.

The Patriots receive Jimmy G, and a 2022 first round pick. 

The 49ers receive the #2 overall pick and the right to draft Justin Fields. 

The Jets head into the 2021 draft with;

Round 1:

#15 overall

#16 overall 

#26 overall

Round 2:

#34th overall

Round 3:

#65th overall 

#79 overall

#90 overall 

Round 4:

#97 overall

Round 5:

#129 overall

#132 overall

Compensatory pick (from 49ers)

Round 7:

#218 overall

Compensatory pick (from 49ers)

13 picks to solidify several needs across the offensive line, defense as a whole, and build a competitive roster. They also still walk into the 2022 draft with 2 first round picks.This is virtually guaranteed to be enough ammunition to move up and select a QB if 2021 doesn't help cement Darnold as the starter after a huge influx of young talent along with some key free agent additions, or if Darnold does solidify himself it gives you even more opportunities to round out your roster which is one of those big time moves that spurs overnight rebuilds. 

Some might say well the Patriots give up nothing to get Jimmy G. But that isn't true. If it weren't for their willingness to take on his contract and give up their ability to draft in the first round this year for the ability to select twice next year the 49ers likely don't pull off this trade. The draw here is the Jets gaining all the draft capitol up front giving them the ability to draft a large amount of players in one season, which they are banking on causing a quick turn around for their franchise. This model has been followed before during other drastic trades up the board for quarterbacks. Whether it was the RGIII trade or the trade up for Mitch Trubisky, or others many teams have used these moves to help develop cheaper more well rounded rosters.