MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Brandon Allen re-signs with Bengals



The Bengals are re-signing quarterback Brandon Allen to a one-year deal, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports.

Allen, 28, started five games for the Bengals last season after Joe Burrow injured his knee. He is expected again to backup Burrow.

Allen completed 63.4 percent of his passes for 925 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions. The Bengals were 1-4 in his starts.

Allen started three games for the Broncos in 2019, passing for 515 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

He entered the NFL as a sixth-round choice of the Jaguars in 2016.

Allen also has spent time with the Rams.

NBC

 

Interesting task. Some of those on your list are Kind of surprising.....I'll give it a shot;
TOP 32
1. Mahomes
2. Wilson
3. Rodgers
4. Brady
5. Allen
6. Mayfield
7.Watson
8. Herbert
9. Murray
10. Jackson
11. Burrow
12. Prescott
13. Stafford
14. Tannehill
15. Ryan
16. Brees
17. Roethlisberger
18. Cousins
19. Garoppolo
19. Wentz
20. Hill
21. Fitzpatrick
22. Jones
23. Goff
24. Darnold
25. Newton
26. Winston
27. Keenum
28. Hurts
29. Mariota
30 Tagovaloa
31. Minshew
32. Dalton

 

Like others I’ll do a top 10. Mine will look quite a big different than most others here:
1. Mahomes- no brainer in my opinion, man is crazy good, makes the most difficult throws look effortless. The Super Bowl loss really opened my eyes even more.
2. Josh Allen- second best QB play I saw. Yeah he didn’t do amazing things in the playoffs but damn he was unstoppable most of the season. Made huge strides this past season.
3. Russel Wilson- just continued to make plays with no protection and little supporting cast. Damn good player, especially paired with a good coaching staff.
4. Joe Burrow- way higher than anyone else has him, but in his 10 games for a sh*t team, he was flat out the best player on the field. Showed up pretty big in the majority of games I remember. Threat on the ground and throwing. Pretty damn good accuracy, did not get rattled despite taking his share of hits. He gets protection and a half decent supporting cast, watch out.
5. Dak Prescott- at first I thought this was too high, but you saw how bad the Cowboys were without him. Honestly never really thought of him as a franchise QB till this past season. (Admittedly I see very few Cowboy games). Early in the year, offense moved and for roughly 5 weeks after he went down it didn’t move at all. Works a lot better with a good running game but that’s pretty true for most QBs.
6. Deshaun Watson- Should be higher if based only on talent, however recent events factor into this tumble. While I don’t give him as much hate as a few people give for his current situation, is that really the player you want to build around if you’re HC? On the other hand, can you blame his current attitude? Previous GM/HC traded the best WR in the game for a broken RB who hasn’t been good since his big injury? Roster was dismantled, and he was left with no supporting cast and still managed to put together a good season. But one has to wonder, how much of Watson’s success was due to just chucking it in the area of Hopkins and him just being able to beat DBs for the ball? All that means he takes a mini-tumble in my mind.
7. Aaron Rodgers: I know what you’re thinking, how the hell is Rodgers this far down your list?! Outrageous! Do I think he is the 7th best QB? Absolutely not, usually if you are rebuilding, vision is a bit more long term and Rodgers is getting up there in age. Honestly he probably should go in front of Dak, but he’s been carrying the Packers without much of a receiving corps outside of Adams, how much does he have left? If last season was any indication, at least 2-3. How willing is he to learn an entire new offense? For a team that is rebuilding? Don’t get that warm fuzzy feeling. Still, he’s one of the top QBs and brings instant credibility to any offense.
8. Tom Brady- similar reasons for the GOAT to be this low as Rodgers. 40+ years of age, the end is near for him. If your team is a QB away from a SB like TB was, then absolutely Brady is likely the guy to get you there. Won’t kill you, reads defenses like no other, and can still make most throws. Also, his pocket presence is amazing, nobody can work a pocket quite like Brady. However if you have a long rebuild ahead, Brady likely won’t be there long enough to get that title.
9. Lamar Jackson: is this too low? Maybe. Maybe some anti-Ravens bias going on here. Fact of the matter is he is a former NFL MVP, still have to gameplan for his running ability otherwise you will lose. His accuracy leaves a bit to be desired, does not complete much to his WR, but outside of Brown who does he really have? Jackson might suffer from the offense he is currently running, but when you have a running game and defense like them you’d be foolish not to. But in the event defense fails and you fall behind can he put the team on his shoulders and bring them back? I have doubts. But with the game being more finesse offense based, maybe being the most physical will lead you to a title. Ravens are close and you can’t take away Jackson’s contributions. Jackson is an improved Michael Vick, stronger, so far not durable, and a far better passer. He wins games on his own at times, and his running creates big chances for the rest of the offense. You have to spy him so that’s one less person either in coverage or rushing the passer. Huge advantage for that offense.
10. Justin Herbert- not sure who else to put here. Couldn’t put Mayfield here, can’t have all the young AFC North QBs here lol. In seriousness, Herbert showed quite well last season, I kept waiting for him to have a bad game, and it just didn’t happen. Seemed to get better with each game (again, didn’t see too much of him in live action) and the game wasn’t too big for him. Definitely intrigued to see what he does this year. If we see a jump forward, the Chargers will be major players this year. Is he a good candidate to build a team around? We will find out shortly, early returns look very promising though.

 

I'm just making sure you were understanding the question, it seems you are building some of your thoughts around the future, when the question posed was a one year bubble. I don't know that it changes your answer, but reading your post, it seems like you are putting a lot of equity in what they could mean to the future of the franchise, and not JUST the one year bubble posed.

 

1. Mahomes and any one not leading off with him is likely just hating. Ive been on the Mahomes hype train since he was drafted by KC but the Super Bowl should have opened a lot of eyes on him. No he didnt put up numbers but he flat out balled behind a reshuffled terrible line and a great Bucs game plan.

After 1 it can go a bunch of ways pending on what you have on your team. For example a team like Tampa Bay last year and you can add Brady but if your a team with a bad oline (think bengals jets chargers) Tom Brady is getting killed and you are going no where. For this exercise im going to go with the thought you have t worst an average offensive line.

2. Aaron Rogers
3. Russel Wilson
4. Josh Allen (prime example of what happens when you have a good young QB and you give him some weapons)
5. Deshaun Watson
6. Tom Brady I am not even sure he belongs this high. Yes he won the super bowl and another sb mvp but i really think tom is atthe point in his career where he has to be surrounded with everything. Its why he left the Patriots its why he didnt choose the Chargers (along with several other teams) over the Bucs. He needs an above average line and weapons but based on history i cant rank him lower either.
7. Dak Prescott i was really hoping he would be tagged again and then next season the Steelers could give him the big pay day
8. Joe Burrow kid played some pretty good ball beh9nd a crappy offensive line
9. Justin Hebert also had a bad line
10. Ben R (okay im kidding i just wanted to see how many people would spit their beverage out reading him in the top 10). My real 10 is Kyler Murray

 

That is precisely why i would have Murray lower. Ton of upside potential still, but in Tim's criteria this list needs to be based heavily on players you trust imo. When it gets to playoff time do you really trust a guy like Lamar more than (imo) underrated Derek Carr?

Whats interesting is you really dont have to extend the timeline on this much to dramatically alter your list. Even a 2-3year timeline and Burrow flies up my list, with Brady & Rodgers falling.

 

With Murray, some of it is based on my pre-draft eval that placed him behind only Andrew Luck and right in front of Russell Wilson for all time high score by a quarterback (current scoring system started in 2012). I see him as a 4,000 yd/30 TD passer this season, and he probably continues to rush for at least 600 yds/7 TDs. I do trust him to be solid in the post-season when the opportunity presents itself and I would put Lamar Jackson ahead of Derek Carr when it comes to post-season trust because they both could go through a similar situation of not being able to complete passes in rhythm, but only one of them could turn the tide of the game with his feet. I know Carr is getting a lot of praise for how well he operated in Gruden's offense last season, and people point to the yardage totals over the last 3 years, but the scoring is still streaky and he's still only averaging 22 TDs a season over the last 3. He's a quality starter, not a game changer, which is pretty much how I view the 11 through 18 block.

After that, the question marks start adding up quickly...

Those 2 (Murray and Jackson) were pretty easy for me to slot up, but the bigger challenge was Deshaun Watson. There's a case to be made that Deshaun could be ranked lower than what I have him based on W/L% and the idea that his yardage totals and TDs in a failed season exploded to a level that his two year prior arc would not suggest. There were zero game winning drives all of last season and his totals came on a staggering 544 attempts.

I'm not looking to slam Deshaun or say that all of what he did last year was smoke and mirrors, but these are some of the questions that should be kept in hand by any GM that is thinking about trading for Watson, or in the case of this little exercise, where exactly you put your confidence in him.

And before the post comes that asks, having him ranked higher than what I do can easily be argued for as well.

 

Buccaneers, Tom Brady agree to one-year extension through 2022



Tom Brady‘s first year in Tampa Bay couldn’t have ended any better, and so both sides were eager for a contract extension.

Brady, who initially signed a two-year contract last year, has agreed to a one-year extension, according to multiple reports.

The Bucs and Brady are now contractually linked through the 2022 season.

Although there’s no word on the finances of the extension, it presumably lowers Brady’s salary cap number for 2021, which will help the Buccaneers keep some of their free agents, and then guarantees Brady some money in 2022. Brady has generally not driven hard bargains in his NFL career, first with the Patriots and now with the Buccaneers, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him make another move like this a year from now to lower his 2022 salary cap hit.

Brady, who will turn 44 in August, has shown no indication that he plans to retire any time soon. But this deal makes it a little more likely that when he does retire, it will be with the Buccaneers.

NBC

 

Report: Cam Newton re-signing with Patriots



Cam Newton and the Patriots are running it back.

The quarterback is re-signing with New England on a one-year deal, according to a report from Jim McBride of the Boston Globe.

Newton signed with the Patriots in July of last year to a one-year, $1.75 million contract. He started 15 games for the club in 2020, throwing for 2,657 yards with eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Newton’s 82.9 passer rating was 28th among 35 qualified passers.

But Newton was one of the league’s most effective runners at quarterback, account for 592 yards on the ground and 12 rushing touchdowns. He also caught a pair of passes for 35 yards with a TD.

Newton joins Jarrett Stidham and Jake Dolegala as New England quarterbacks under contract. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, signing Newton will not stop the Patriots from making another move at QB this offseason.

NBC

 

Good news!! AFCE fans (except for NE fans). Cam Newton re-signing with Patriots

 

I've never much liked the guy. He's one of the bigger "head cases" in the NFL. Remember all the hype he got coming out of college? Sure, when things were going his way, he was all smiles and doing that Superman thing. But when things went south, there he was sitting on the end of the bench with a towel over his head. He got to a Super Bowl once but, we haven't heard from him since.

 

But when things went south, there he was sitting on the end of the bench with a towel over his head. He got to a Super Bowl once but, we haven't heard from him since.

So True SCS..........the Towel over his head was the Final Straw for myself.......your suppose too be a Leader....Not a Loser.

 

Look at the "good" QB's. When they throw a pick or get sacked, they sit on the bench looking at pictures of the other teams defensive setup. Trying to see what went wrong or what he didn't see. Trying to learn something. Not Newton. Runs off and sulks like a little girl.

 

Patrick Mahomes restructure will free up $17 million of cap room for Chiefs



Tom Brady signed an extension with the Buccaneers on Friday that opens up $19 million in cap room for the 2021 season and the other quarterback from Super Bowl LV will be tweaking his contract to give the Chiefs more space.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Chiefs will convert Mahomes’ $21.7 million roster bonus for this season into a signing bonus. That will allow them to spread the cap hit out into future years and open up $17 million in cap space for the coming year.

Mahomes signed a 10-year deal with the Chiefs before the 2020 season, so there are plenty of future years for the Chiefs to use to their short-term cap advantage. The coming years could see more of the same as Mahomes has large roster bonuses due each season.

The Chiefs released starting offensive tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz this week and reworking Mahomes’ contract should help the team find new players to protect the quarterback in the years to come.

NBC

 

I don't see it. They'd have to figure out a way to keep a few defensive guys they are losing IMO and then that side of the ball would have to stay damn near 100% healthy. That's pretty unlikely. But at least we have a shot. Browns are much farther away.

 

It's dynasty so not the same thing but I was a seller in two of my dynasty leagues with Kyler because of two things:

1. I felt like teams got a bead on Kingsbury's offense the second half of 2020 and...

2. I didn't like the way Kyler played injured. I haven't heard of any off-season surgeries so my assumption is his injuries were typical bumps and bruises and he didn't finish strong last year.

May be proven wrong. Only time will tell.

 

Where would you place Kyler in the context of this conversation?

 

Need to see a lot more. Middle of the pack.

 

We’ll tag this convo and revisit it next off-season.

 

Final straw for me was the SB when he didnt dive for the fumble. I get not diving in pre season maybe even in a regular season but in the SB where its go big or go home he went home on one play.