It is often said that quarterback is the most important position in all of sports. A statement like that makes it not all that surprising when the perception of an offense changes following the move from a potential Hall-of-Fame QB to an inconsistent journeyman.
In the past two seasons we have seen two situations where the departure of a pillar at the QB position, and the subsequent promotion of a veteran who has put up mixed results (at best), led to near-universal pessimism. In 2021, the Seahawks traded Russell Wilson to the Broncos for a king’s ransom, and ultimately ended up promoting Geno Smith to starter following a training camp battle with Drew Lock. After Tom Brady retired following the 2022 season, Tampa Bay signed Baker Mayfield in free agency, and the former first-overall pick beat out Kyle Trask in training camp to earn the starting job.
While dialing back expectations was warranted, in each of these circumstances the pendulum swung too far towards the negative. Even if QB is the most important position in all of sports, it is not the sole reason that a team finds success. Both the Seahawks and Buccaneers had shown consistency under their current regimes, and had a productive player pool that signaled that their imminent demise was possibly being greatly exaggerated.
When looking for a team that could possibly fall in line with the Seahawks and Buccaneers from the past two seasons, three parallels stand out:
- The elevation of a downtrodden, journeyman QB who once had high expectations that were never realized.
- The presence of an established coaching staff with a history of winning.
- A receiver room featuring at least two players with a history of near-elite-to-elite production.
After analyzing the criteria set in place, one team stood out above all others as having the potential to return value in line with the Seattle and Tampa Bay teams of the past two seasons.
