Which quarterbacks make the most CENTS for the Steelers?

[Steeler Nation]

Thanks to Matthew Stafford and Tom Brady in back to back years, the NFL has watched the Super Bowl winning quarterback lift the Lombardi Trophy for their new teams. Stafford in his first year in Los Angeles after leaving Detroit and Brady moving to Tampa Bay after decades in New England. Since teams are now reaping immediate returns with the quarterback shuffle, very few cities are happy with their current quarterback situation.

It doesn’t matter if they’ve won a Super Bowl or are the reigning back to back league MVP, these are the QBs who have been rumored to be unhappy with their teams, or their teams are unhappy with them. As I said on this week’s Steeler Nation Podcast, I will list the QBs from most to least expensive and give my opinions on each.

1) Deshaun Watson – $35M​

Watson’s contract is just about as toxic as his off-field troubles. He didn’t play at all in 2021 due to 20+ allegations of sexual misconduct. Though he is only 26 years old and loaded with talent, no team will touch him until he is no longer spending time in a court room. Pair this with his current contract that pays him $35M this year then $37M, $32M, & $32M over the next 3 seasons, and we can immediately rule out Watson as a financial option for the Steelers.

2) Kirk Cousins – $35M​

Cousins has fallen out of favor with Minnesota because of his inability to win consistently. At 33 years old, he just made the Pro Bowl by passing for 33 touchdowns with only 7 interceptions, but for some reason, was only 8-8 in his record. I like his age and his touchdown to interception ratio, but being a .500 quarterback is not the player I want at that price in our city that expects winners.

3) Carson Wentz – $28.29M​

Wentz is a younger quarterback at 29 who is two years removed from leading the league in interceptions with 15. A change in scenery from Philadelphia to Indianapolis was great for his improvement in TD to INT ratio 27 to 7. The Colts only needed a win against Jacksonville, who held the worst record in the NFL, to make the playoffs. Wentz could not shed his bird upbringing in Philly as he laid an egg with his indecisiveness and 6 sacks. Though he allowed the Steelers to make the playoffs by losing, I’m not sure if they see Wentz as the answer to their QB problems having a line to rebuild and questions on defense. Any team taking Wenz would also inherit his $26M and $27M contract amounts in 2023 and 2024.

4) Aaron Rodgers – $27.57M​

Mr. Discount Double-Check himself is the current back to back league MVP and won his only Super Bowl against our beloved Steelers, however Steeler Nation seems to be the most excited in the prospect of adding him to the roster. His on field talent is unquestioned. He’s consistently getting Green Bay deep into the playoffs, and he knows how to win. Rodgers is also the oldest QB we will discuss at 38. I don’t know if he wants to be part of an offensive line rebuild in Pittsburgh, though he would love the talent on offense with Najee Harris and Diontae Johnson both making the Pro Bowl and young. He would have athletic players like Chase Claypool and Pat Freiermuth to throw to as well. We know that Rodgers is unvaccinated, and that is his choice, however league rules mandate 10 days away from the team for all unvaccinated players. If Ben Roethlisberger was unvaccinated, he would have missed 2 games since he was found positive the Saturday before a game. This is something to consider when you expect your quarterback to play, and vaccinated players like TJ Watt can return without missing a game if they test negative. So age and vaccination status are the only things working against me being all in for the talented Aaron Rodgers.

5) Matt Ryan – $25.75M​

“Matty Ice” is a former league MVP who unfortunately blew the largest lead in Super Bowl history to watch Brady lift the trophy. Since that MVP year, his stats have diminished each season and only made the playoffs the year after their Super Bowl loss. It seems that Matty Ice has melted over time and is now a lukewarm puddle of water at 36 years old. Ryan could benefit from a change in scenery, but I don’t see him being a fit at all in Pittsburgh with his lack of mobility.

6) Jimmy Garoppolo – $25.55M​

All he does is win, win, win no matter what. Jimmy G is a winner and that is unquestioned. He has a great TD to INT ratio for his career and just hit 30 years old. He could be entering the prime of his career, however I question his durability. He only has two seasons where he’s played over 10 games and only one season where he played in every game. As a trend, it does not look good to invest in a quarterback that you can’t rely on, and I couldn’t see myself pulling the trigger on him because of that.

7) Russell Wilson – $24M​

Probably the most consistent quarterback we will discuss. Wilson has made the Pro Bowl every year but one since he entered the league and has only had two losing seasons. He’s been to two Super Bowls, winning one and has shown he is one of the best decision makers with the ball in his hands. He has the ability to make every throw on the field, paired with enough mobility to extend and make his own plays. With the offensive line the way it is for the Steelers, Wilson is the first quarterback we have mentioned, that I feel comfortable running the offense.

8) Derek Carr – $19.88M​

This is the scenario that makes the least amount of sense to me on why Carr would be available. He competes in an incredibly tough division facing Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert twice, and out dueled the latter to get his team (and the Steelers) into the playoffs with that final overtime kick as time expired to end the 2021 regular season. So why the heck would the Davis family sour on their QB? Do they think they need a different QB to continue to compete in the AFC West? He’s 30 years old, has made the Pro Bowl three times and feels a bit like the 2022 Matt Stafford that could make a talented team even better. I like his price tag, and his competitiveness, I’m just not sold on his consistency or ability to make all the correct reads to be an elite quarterback in this league.

9) Kyler Murray – $5.49M​

Now we’re talking. A dirt cheap quarterback in their rookie contract who still has a 5th year option to take, locking him up for two years. He was the Offensive Rookie of the Year and made the Pro Bowl twice in his three years in the league. He is mobile, smart, and can make every throw. He can extend plays with his feet and designs his own plays on the fly like a young Big Ben. We didn’t know there was any problem in Arizona until Murray removed everything with the Cardinals logo from all of his social media. If you’re younger and in a relationship that is souring, this is the sign that it is OVER! I don’t know if they can reconcile, but the Steelers would have to give up a lot of draft capital to acquire him. If you think Murray is the quarterback to build a Super Bowl winning team around, you make the move, but you do it at the expense of the draft picks needed to rebuild efficiently.

10) Daniel Jones – $4.19M​

Also in his rookie contract with the 5th year option available, the only problem is, is he worth the 5th year option amount. He has the arm talent, he just hasn’t been able to show that he can be a reliable QB in NY and this is the city that is the hardest on QBs. Jones doesn’t seem to be a mentally tough fit in the Big Apple and because of that, I’m not sure he’d do much better in the Steel City.

11) Jalen Hurts – $1.16M​

Another very young and mobile option. The fans in Philly are calling for his head for no other reason other than they are Philly fans. Though I’m not sure if the thrifty owner, Jeffery Lurie, wants to move on from his starting QB’s salary and the fact that he only costs $1.43M the following year in 2023. In his first year as a starter, Hurts threw 16 TDs with 9 INTs but added 10 TDs on the ground. He is a raw talent that still needs development, but if the Steelers are looking for a cost effective option as a mobile quarterback, Hurts could be their guy.



I understand draft picks will come into play with just about all of these options, but they no longer factor if any of these quarterbacks are released. Their teams will try and get as many draft pics as they can for their QBs, and with all things being equal, Kyler Murray is the best value and option to be the next Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback. I would be happy with Russell Wilson, Aaron Rogers, Derek Carr, or Jalen Hurts in that order, but the value and ability of the remaining quarterbacks pale to these options.



What do you say, Steeler Nation? Looking at the numbers, who is your favorite quarterback on this list? Click to comment below!

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[slashsteel]

Interesting list if I was a betting man I would say one of these QBs will be a Steelers starter. I think I read the Raiders are interested in extending Carr. For me Wentz might be the least attractive on the list and we know who I would put on the top.

 

[jitter77]

No way in hell for Wentz. Way too much $$ and his playing ability fell off a cliff after his knee injury. I think Watson is over-rated, over-paid and at best has all kinds of bad publicity and at worst will be arrested. I like Cousins, but way too much $$ and too old. Matt Ryan is on the down slide, costs too much and is not mobile. Rodgers is still a top QB, but he will cost us a fortune and realistically only has a few yrs left. Jimmy G takes a lot of heat and I think he is a good QB, but not great. He also can not stay healthy and is wildly inconsistent. Wilson did not look too good this year to me and they have good offensive weapons. Not sure if his skills are declining or he was just having an off year and was disgruntled. Carr is alright, but I just dont see him being able to carry the team. If we were solid all around and just needed a QB I think Carr would be pretty good here. Im not a fan of Jones things just dont seem to be clicking for him. Murray and Hurts are interesting options. Hurts may be a cheap stop gap option. He is mobile at least. I dont see us getting Murray, but he might get killed w/ our line

 

[bkwheat28]

With Colbert being on record saying they had higher draft grade on Rudy than where they got him, and signing him to an extension, I really believe he’s going to be given every opportunity to be the starter this year. He’s in the unenviable position of following an all time great. I know it’s not popular opinion, but I’m ok with giving him a legitimate shot. I’d really rather see us invest draft into fixing team weaknesses for the long haul as well as the cap space. No QB is gonna have success without fixing the line, and we owe it to Najee after spending last years first to improve life for him as well.

 

[slashsteel]

Rudy had a legitimate shot and legitimately couldn't squeeze the ball into those tight windows. I would love to be wrong about him, but I think you saw a top out. Carr probably won't be available out of the options but before Gruden left he was having a solid season. Wilson was coming off injury so I think that was his trouble. I bet you could zoom in and always find something about a QB to question. Thing is there is bigger questions on the roster so you can't let that roadblock picking up an upgrade the best possible for your team. Some of the options won't be available so up to the team to quickly identify who will be and attack. Attack aggressively and quickly and upgrade the position. Whoever it ultimately is it better be a mobile option. As even if you fix the Oline in free agency you have to assume the cohesiveness will take time regardless. So I would probably leave Ryan off the list. I think the good thing is there should be some mobile options available. Shame the new defensive assistant probably won't have a say or voiced opinion. Something tells me he could be an asset in this area...

 

[Stryker]

With these contracts, the top 3 priced themselves out of our range. Rogers is a 2 year option only. Ryan and Jimmy G are more expensive options than Wilson and neither compare to him athletically. Carr is a value option, but a friend of mine pointed out that he's 0-6 in games under 37 degrees. Is it due to his small hands (9 1/8")? Hurts seems like a 2 year option. Jones isn't an option, we have better QBs on this team already. Though you can build a franchise around Murray.

 

[slashsteel]

With these contracts, the top 3 priced themselves out of our range. Rogers is a 2 year option only. Ryan and Jimmy G are more expensive options than Wilson and neither compare to him athletically. Carr is a value option, but a friend of mine pointed out that he's 0-6 in games under 37 degrees. Is it due to his small hands (9 1/8")? Hurts seems like a 2 year option. Jones isn't an option, we have better QBs on this team already. Though you can build a franchise around Murray.

I would think if it was a pricier option the team would tweak the contract to make it work for them. Their track record points to that capability.

 

[Stryker]

I would think if it was a pricier option the team would tweak the contract to make it work for them. Their track record points to that capability.

If you trade for the player, you get the contract as written. See Minkah.

You have to also give up draft picks for the value of the player with that contract.
Every once in a while you have a player that forces a trade, voids the contract, then sets a new contract with their new team. This would be WAY WORSE than taking their contract, because your team is now tied to the player and the signing bonus creates a ton of dead money so you can't drop the player.

Conversely, if we pick up any player with more than one year on their contract, and they suck next year, the Steelers can cut them with 0 dead money since the singing bonuses and proration bonuses were paid by the previous team and count against their cap.

 

[KStilley]

I'm still of the opinion we're putting the cart before the horse if we attempt to purchase and use draft picks to obtain a QB.

Rebuild through available cap cash and draft and when your ready, go all in on the QB if that's the missing link. Tampa went out and got Brady once they had a solid roster. I remember last year's SB, before the first quarter was over it was obvious who was going to win. Tampa was totally dominating the trenches, both sides. Their DL and LBs were so fricking dominant.

This year the Rams grab Stafford, they had pretty much addressed the rest of their roster. Not as dominant as Tampa the previous year but they had enough pieces already in place and added a couple to fill in for injuries.

I know the Steelers don't use the word rebuid but using a ton of cap space on a QB to play on the team as it's currently constructed is not the way to go.

 

[FSF]

Go after Wentz when/if Colts cut him on March 18. Nobody is going to trade for his contract when it’s not a secret the Colts are weighing cutting him. They either pay him $28M this year in keeping him or save $13M and eat the rest for a year to admit the mistake and just move on.

 

[FSF]

I'm still of the opinion we're putting the cart before the horse if we attempt to purchase and use draft picks to obtain a QB.

Rebuild through available cap cash and draft and when your ready, go all in on the QB if that's the missing link. Tampa went out and got Brady once they had a solid roster. I remember last year's SB, before the first quarter was over it was obvious who was going to win. Tampa was totally dominating the trenches, both sides. Their DL and LBs were so fricking dominant.

This year the Rams grab Stafford, they had pretty much addressed the rest of their roster. Not as dominant as Tampa the previous year but they had enough pieces already in place and added a couple to fill in for injuries.

I know the Steelers don't use the word rebuid but using a ton of cap space on a QB to play on the team as it's currently constructed is not the way to go.

The best way to make a championship run is to build a quality team then go all out to get the QB on the rookie deal.

It’s no coincidence that KC has been in 4 consecutive AFC Championship games—Mahomes cap hit was only $7.5M last year. It raises up to $35M this year. They will have no choice but to let some players go, no difference than all the other teams that had QBs take up the massive amount of cap space before them over last decade.

There’s a trend going on regarding making the decision to either pay the QB or move on after 5 years. Buffalo arguably extended Allen "early" and has one year before his cap hit is $40M.

Lamar had only a $3M cap hit last year, and Mayfield & Murray were around $10M as none have been extended yet. having the cap room and the QB is obviously an advantage — but it’s a short window. One the 49ers are going to try and capitalize on with Trey Lance - you know they want to shed Jimmy G's contract.

 

[FSF]

With these contracts, the top 3 priced themselves out of our range. Rogers is a 2 year option only. Ryan and Jimmy G are more expensive options than Wilson and neither compare to him athletically. Carr is a value option, but a friend of mine pointed out that he's 0-6 in games under 37 degrees. Is it due to his small hands (9 1/8")? Hurts seems like a 2 year option. Jones isn't an option, we have better QBs on this team already. Though you can build a franchise around Murray.

I don't know how true it is, but if half the rumors they say about Murray are true I wouldn't want to touch the guy.

 

[slashsteel]

I don't know how true it is, but if half the rumors they say about Murray are true I wouldn't want to touch the guy.

What are the rumors?

 

[KStilley]

What are the rumors?

I think it was Mortensen who posted according to "unnamed sources" Murray was self centered,
Immature and a finger pointer. Ha, I can think of a few great QBs who are self centered and finger pointers and probably lacked maturity during their first four or five years. Hell finger pointing can be perceived as getting called out in the huddle for blowing a blocking assignment or running the wrong route. Wonder if Rodgers, Brady and Ben have done that or been described as self centered.

 

[MT~Forged]

I would be willing to bring in any of the under 7 million QB’s to compete for the start. I would not give up anything above a 3rd in any deal, as those are needed to build a respectable base for the next QB.