BRONCOS

Can the Broncos find this year’s version of Matthew Stafford?

Feb 15, 2022, 6:55 AM

The Denver Broncos may have learned a thing or two from the results of Super Bowl LVI. The Los Angeles Rams won it all by going “all in” with various trades, free-agent acquisitions and moves in the draft. One of the biggest pieces the Rams got by paying a hefty price was quarterback Matthew Stafford. The Broncos were also in on Stafford this offseason, but the Rams upped the ante and got him.

Stafford, a former No. 1 overall pick (2009) of the Detroit Lions played for years and didn’t get a single playoff win in three tries over 12 seasons. His first year with the Rams saw the team win the Super Bowl. Stafford has always been a talented quarterback, but he needed a change of scenery to truly play up to his potential.

Are there other quarterbacks, former top-five picks like Stafford, who could produce with a fresh start and a new team – possibly the Broncos? Let’s take a look.

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Baker Mayfield | No.1 overall } 2018 NFL Draft

The Cleveland Browns picked up Baker Mayfield’s fifth-year option, so he’s only under contract through the 2022 season. He performed poorly in 2021, largely due to a variety of injuries he sustained along the way while he toughed it out over 14 games. Mayfield underwent shoulder surgery back in January and may not be ready to resume practicing until training camp in August.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry claimed that Mayfield would be the team’s starter in 2022. The team had to say that, to squelch any rumblings about moving on and because this free agent class of quarterbacks isn’t great. The Browns may be looking for an upgrade from Mayfield, but they may not be able to do that until after the 2022 season.
The Broncos simply can’t wait. They need to be interested in someone available this offseason. Everyone is for a price, but the return from Mayfield may not be what you bargained for.

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Carson Wentz | No.2 overall | 2016 NFL Draft

There were rumblings over the last couple of weeks that the Indianapolis Colts may be done with quarterback Carson Wentz. The Colts controlled their destiny in Week 18, but a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars booted them from the playoff picture. They set things up for Wentz to be their starter with an idea that they could strike gold with the veteran quarterback. After only one season, it looks more like fools’ gold in Indianapolis.

On Sunday, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen revealed that Wentz is likely to be traded or released this offseason. At the beginning of the new league year, Wentz’s $15 million base salary becomes fully guaranteed. We’ll see if the team can deal Wentz over the next month or so. It’s unlikely he’s going to draw much in terms of draft capital for the Colts. That means Wentz could be released, with the Colts eating $13.3 million in dead money, in the near future.

If the Broncos want Wentz, they could wait and get him free and clear on the open market. Wentz is an average quarterback who has played well at times. Teammates find getting along with him to be a little, well, complicated, so that works against Wentz. Any team who adds him should not commit to him with any sort of long-term deal. Simply put, the Broncos can do much, much better than Wentz.

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Matt Ryan | No.3 overall | 2008 NFL Draft

The Atlanta Falcons may finally be ready to move on from veteran quarterback Matt Ryan. Emotionally, Falcons owner Arthur Blank loves Ryan and after the 2021 season – a poor season for Ryan – it may be time to move on. The problem? He’s got an albatross for a contract and is unlikely to be traded away because of it.

Ryan, 36, has a $48.6 million salary cap hit in 2022 – and no team is going to want to trade for that. If the Falcons traded Ryan before June 1, they would absorb a $40 million dead-cap hit in 2022.

Like Mayfield, Ryan is unlikely to be realistically available until next offseason. By that time, he’s one year older and who knows if he’ll make it through the 2022 season unscathed. It’s too far away and Ryan is too far gone in his career to realistically expect any sort of bounce-back year with a fresh start.

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Kyler Murray | No.1 overall | 2019 NFL Draft

Things got weird with the Arizona Cardinals and quarterback Kyler Murray around the Pro Bowl. He unfollowed the Cardinals on social networking platforms and replaced his pictures to scrub any reference to his NFL team.

Mortensen once again came through with an interesting report, citing a source who called Murray a “finger-pointer” who likes to blame others. Mortensen reported Murray is “frustrated” with the team after their humiliating Wild Card loss to the Rams. Things got so out of hand, the Cardinals had to release a statement on Sunday that said, “nothing has changed regarding our opinion and high regard for Kyler Murray. We are excited to continue that improvement in 2022 and are excited that Kyler Murray is the quarterback leading us.”

No matter how disgruntled Murray is, he’s likely to be under center for the Cardinals in 2022. If the Broncos wanted to get Murray, and rumors are the Buccaneers are interested, they’d have to pay a premium price for a young quarterback with superstar upside. This move for 2022 would be unlikely to happen.

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Sam Darnold | No.3 Overall | 2018 NFL Draft

He may not be a favorite on this list, but there was a time that Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold was a favorite of the former front office of the Broncos. Former general manager John Elway loved Darnold coming out of USC, and if he was on the board at No. 5 overall when the Broncos picked they would’ve likely selected him and not pass-rusher Bradley Chubb.

Darnold has flashed a few times during his pro career, but the New York Jets (the team who drafted him) sent him packing last offseason to the Panthers. He did not have a great season, even though the Panthers started 3-0 with Darnold as the starter. His touchdown-to-interception ratio was awful (nine touchdowns, 13 interceptions) and the Panthers are looking for an upgrade – perhaps one they get in the 2022 NFL draft.

Now, they’ll have to keep Darnold as he’s got a guaranteed $18.8 million salary and no team is going to want to trade for that. That’s why I think Darnold stays in Carolina, and the team considers a quarterback like Malik Willis with the no.6 overall pick. Darnold seems to have been battered into bad play. Even Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer admits as much. “When we protect him,” Fitterer continued, “he looks like a good NFL quarterback.” We’ll see if they can protect Darnold better, but I doubt things turn around for him in 2022.

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Jared Goff | No.1 overall | 2016 NFL Draft

In the move for Stafford, the Rams were able to move their former franchise quarterback Jared Goff to the Detroit Lions. It was seen as mostly a throw-in on the trade that sent two first-round picks to the Lions as the featured assets. After Goff’s play in 2021, the Lions may have changed their mind about him as their future starter.

He might have moved himself into the conversation as a long-term option for the Lions. When head coach Dan Campbell took over play-calling duties, Goff’s game seemed to come to life. Goff set team records despite missing three games in his first year in Detroit, throwing for 3,245 yards, with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions and a 91.5 passer rating.

Goff has a $30.5 million dead cap hit, so he’s likely to get a second season with the Lions. If he continues to play well, then perhaps the Lions would give him a contract extension. I doubt the Broncos would want to trade for Goff, but he is a former top-5 pick who might need a fresh start.

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Tua Tagovailoa | No.5 overall | 2020 NFL Draft

The Miami Dolphins are moving in a different direction in 2022 with new head coach Mike McDaniel. They are going to run the ball early and often this upcoming season, and that should settle down the play of former top-5 pick Tua Tagovailoa. About a month ago, before the hiring of the new staff, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the Dolphins wanted to build around Tagovailoa rather than move on from him.

Tagovailoa hasn’t been as good as some thought he would be as a top-5 pick coming out of Alabama. He’s not as much of a runner as he could be, and Tagovailoa struggles outside of checkdown throws. He’s got timing as a passer, but he tends to take the easy route rather than attack a defense vertically with his arm. He’s got limited upside as a passer unless he can take a step forward in 2022. Perhaps with a strong rushing attack, Tagovailoa will work better with play-action passing downfield. It’s certainly a make-or-break year for him in 2022.

Still on his rookie contract, trading for Tagovailoa wouldn’t hurt a team’s salary cap like these other quarterbacks would. However, with his youth and first-round pedigree, the price tag for him might be higher than teams are willing to pay. Like many quarterbacks on this list, it seems like 2023 is when their availability will be more realistic.

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Summary

So, is there a Stafford-type of quarterback the Broncos could go after this offseason? Sure, there are some options for the team, but none of them are as good as trading for Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson.
For years, the Broncos have messed around with lesser quarterbacks. It’s time for them to go “all in” on a superstar passer. If they do that, as I feel they will, then we could be talking about a deep playoff run for the Broncos in 2022.

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