The 2021 NFL season has officially come to a close with the Los Angeles Rams winning it all. What will each team’s QB situation look like in 2022?
The 2022 NFL offseason is finally upon us. With the Los Angeles Rams emerging victorious, the rest of the league is now going to be focused on taking them out of that spot and getting to the top.
In the last two seasons, quarterbacks that have changed teams won the Super Bowl. Tom Brady and the Bucs won it in his first year with Tampa Bay and Matthew Stafford obviously just won in his first season going from the Detroit Lions to the Los Angeles Rams.
What can we expect in terms of QB movement in 2022 around the NFL? It’s either going to be really fun or a major letdown. Players like Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Derek Carr, and Deshaun Watson could be on the move…or they won’t.
For the sake of having some fun and predicting chaos, I want to take a look at an offseason scenario with maximum QB movement. Not necessarily trading every single QB that has been rumored to be on the block, but maybe going a little overboard in the trade predictions on purpose.
Let’s take a post-Super Bowl crack at predicting every NFL team’s starting quarterback for the 2022 season and beyond.
2022 NFL offseason QB predictions: NFC East
New York Giants: Trade for Russell Wilson
The New York Giants have done just about everything right so far in the 2022 offseason, haven’t they?
They brought in Joe Schoen from the Buffalo Bills as their new general manager. They made the predictable but strong hire of Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator. They have hired a pretty tremendous staff overall.
The Giants have multiple very early picks in the 2022 NFL Draft and are poised to make a big splash in the offseason, somehow.
The Giants and perhaps just New York, in general, are on Russell Wilson’s preferred trade destinations list.
If Wilson forces a trade out of Seattle, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him force it to New York where he could elevate the new-look New York Giants to title contention once more.
Dallas Cowboys: Dak Prescott
Just one year after suffering a brutal injury, Dak Prescott was back to form for the Dallas Cowboys.
It was great to see him out there playing well again in 2021, and the Cowboys were a vastly improved team overall this past season than the ones we have seen in recent years.
You could say that before this past season, they were just the “allas Cowboys” because there was no “D” to be found in Jerry’s World.
Dan Quinn helped transform that unit along with defensive rookie of the year Micah Parsons.
With a strong defense behind him, Prescott helped lead the Cowboys back into the playoffs where they were a disappointing first-round exit.
The Cowboys somehow managed to keep both Kellen Moore and Dan Quinn around, both considered top head-coaching candidates, and that continuity could pay huge dividends for the long-term career of Prescott.
With questions about Amari Cooper popping up in the 2022 offseason, how different will Prescott’s weapons look next season?
Right now, that’s tough to say, but he should continue to cement himself as one of the top passers in all of football as long as he stays healthy.
Washington Commanders: Trade for Derek Carr
The Washington Football Team is no longer just the Washington Football Team.
They are now the Washington Commanders.
As it turns out, the Commanders are in need of some quarterback help and they are one of many teams that could try and make a big blockbuster deal this offseason.
One of the situations that could make a lot of sense is for them to go after Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Even before Josh McDaniels got to Las Vegas, it felt like there might be a chance the Raiders could move on from Carr in the offseason.
McDaniels might think he can make things work with Carr like Sean McVay has made them work with Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles, but he also might prefer to go his own direction at the QB position, and we’ll talk more about that later.
With Chase Young coming back in the 2022 season, I think the addition of Derek Carr could push the Commanders over the top in the NFC and make them a legitimate threat to the Dallas Cowboys.
Carr may not be everyone’s favorite flavor, but he’s a very good QB who has toughness, intelligence, and the ability to win shootouts against some of the best in the NFL.
Philadelphia Eagles: Trade for Deshaun Watson
Out of the four teams in the NFC East, I think everyone but the Cowboys is a legitimate candidate to make a big-time trade in the 2022 NFL offseason.
Of course, Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman is no stranger to big trades and is always looking to wheel and deal, no matter what time of year it is.
This year, he’s got three first-round picks to work with and we can expect the Eagles to be very active.
This Eagles team won nine games last season which was surprising to just about everyone, maybe even Philadelphia.
Former second-round pick Jalen Hurts showed some great signs of progression and I think the Eagles would be fine if they decided to stick with him for at least another season, but they might also be able to “buy low” on Deshaun Watson.
The Houston Texans have all but moved on from Watson, and understandably so. His off-field issues right now are such that it may even be premature to talk about a trade but I do think that Watson is going to be one of the dominoes to fall in the 2022 offseason so the Texans can move on.
Even if a trade comes with significant conditions, I think Houston would gladly accept a fair haul of selections for the former MVP candidate and if he is able to play, I think he makes the Eagles a legitimate Super Bowl threat in the NFC.
In this scenario, I have the Eagles keeping Jalen Hurts as insurance, but another QB of theirs will be on the move later on.
Predicting NFL starting QBs in 2022 for the AFC East
New England Patriots: Mac Jones
The New England Patriots sat back during the 2021 NFL Draft and got Mac Jones as their new franchise quarterback.
He helped lead them back into the playoffs in 2021 but obviously, the Patriots were bounced rather quickly.
As a rookie, Jones was selected to the Pro Bowl with 3,801 yards, a completion percentage just under 68 percent, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.
As a team, the Patriots won 10 games last season and that was a marked improvement from the year prior.
With the departure of Josh McDaniels to the Las Vegas Raiders, you can’t help but wonder what the future might hold at the QB position for the Patriots.
They didn’t exactly replace McDaniels so who will be calling plays offensively?
One way or another, the Patriots will probably be moving forward with Jones as their QB for the 2022 season and they need to continue to surround him with weapons, this year at wide receiver.
Last year, the Patriots put an all-out blitz on the tight end position in free agency, signing Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry to big-money deals.
New York Jets: Zach Wilson
The New York Jets are only into their second year of the Robert Saleh and Zach Wilson era, so as tough as it may be, patience is the direction for this team.
Wilson was making some wild plays in 2020 at BYU, which ultimately led to him being drafted second overall by the Jets.
He played so well in 2020, in fact, that there were pundits and analysts who wound up liking his projection to the NFL more than Trevor Lawrence.
Unfortunately for both of those guys, they went to tough situations as rookies and didn’t exactly thrive. Wilson certainly flashed moments of brilliance but he also struggled with accuracy and timing, completing under 56 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 13 games.
In those 13 games, Wilson also took 44 sacks, something the Jets simply cannot have for any sort of sustained offensive success going forward.
They need to see progression from Wilson in 2022 otherwise we might be talking about this team as being in the market for another QB option sooner rather than later.
Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen
Josh Allen has to be going into this offseason wondering what in the world he has to do to get the Buffalo Bills to the Super Bowl.
After his MVP-caliber season in 2020, Allen followed up with a Herculean performance in 2021, putting the Bills on his back down the stretch of the season and making every possible play in the 2021 playoffs against the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round.
Late in the fourth quarter, Allen engineered a miraculous drive to answer a score by the Kansas City Chiefs, throwing a dart of a touchdown pass to Gabriel Davis and giving the Bills a three-point lead with 13 seconds to play and a trip to the AFC Championship within reach.
Unfortunately, Patrick Mahomes happened on the other side.
Allen didn’t get to touch the ball again in overtime after Mahomes and the Chiefs tied things up to end regulation, and the Bills were sent home.
Again, there’s not much more Allen can do.
The Bills have their MVP candidate locked in to a long-term contract and he will have to continue to do all he can to help Buffalo keep up with the Mahomes’ in the AFC.
Miami Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa
After all that has gone down recently with the Miami Dolphins and Brian Flores, you can’t help but think everything is pointing to this team wanting to prioritize Tua Tagovailoa as the immediate future at QB.
The Dolphins have been accused of taking the “Tank for Tua” movement a few steps too far, but if they truly did go to such great lengths to acquire Tagovailoa, it makes sense that they moved on from Brian Flores in an attempt to get the most out of him.
Although Flores had the Dolphins winning games, they weren’t able to solidify any sort of situation offensively at coordinator or at quarterback.
Bringing in Mike McDaniel from the San Francisco 49ers, at least on paper, accomplishes just that.
McDaniel has already been featured in Dolphins online content speaking over the phone with Tagovailoa and it appears as though the team is really prioritizing him.
There were rumors about a potential Deshaun Watson trade, but that doesn’t seem likely to be happening at all now, especially given the fact that the Dolphins are now facing a lawsuit from Flores.
With McDaniel on board, expect to see the Dolphins stick with Tagovailoa and spend their available cap space on the offensive line and on players that can support their young QB.
2022 NFL QB predictions for the AFC North
Cleveland Browns: Trade for Kirk Cousins
There have certainly been some rumors surrounding the Cleveland Browns and quarterback Baker Mayfield, but I am not certain I think he’s going anywhere just yet.
The Browns have an opportunity to sort of reset with their weapons on offense in the 2022 offseason. This roster is pretty well set to make a run in the AFC but they need the QB position to be solidified.
For the purposes of this exercise and in the spirit of predicting the majority of some rumored trades to happen, I’m bringing Kirk Cousins to the Cleveland Browns for the 2022 season.
Spoiler alert, this means Baker Mayfield is headed to the Minnesota Vikings.
More on that later.
There are some pretty obvious connections between the Vikings and Browns these days that could lead pretty much anyone to put two and two together here. Kevin Stefanski was a top offensive assistant and OC for the Vikings when the team acquired Kirk Cousins and he coached him for two years there before joining the Browns.
The Vikings recently hired former Browns front office executive Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as their new GM, so just like we saw with the Rams and Lions last year, we could see a similar deal to send Cousins out of the NFC altogether and over to the Browns.
In theory, Cousins would be the Browns’ version of Matthew Stafford and Mayfield would be the Vikings’ version of Jared Goff. Of course, neither is a player comparison, but a situation comparison.
The Browns may view a guy like Cousins as the missing piece and they have a player they could send back to the Vikings that would make this trade reasonable.
Baltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson is not far removed from being an NFL MVP, but the Lamar Jackson we saw in the 2021 season was not the same guy we’d grown accustomed to in recent years.
Jackson threw 36 touchdown passes in his MVP season back in 2019 and added another seven touchdowns on the ground.
His numbers dipped to 26 passing touchdowns and seven rushing touchdowns in 2020, but the Ravens were still a legitimate and viable Super Bowl threat in the AFC.
In 2021, Jackson played in just 12 games, throwing 16 touchdowns compared to 13 interceptions, his worst touchdown percentage and worst interception percentage so far as an NFL starter.
The Ravens certainly aren’t moving on from Jackson, but they also haven’t given him a long-term deal just yet.
There’s clearly some pause there from the Ravens front office that is worth monitoring going forward.
Obviously, the Ravens are under no obligation to pay Jackson what he’s potentially asking for just yet as they have the threat of the franchise tag for a couple of seasons if need be.
A bounce-back year from Jackson in 2022 would almost undoubtedly result in a long-term extension and long-term answers for Baltimore.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Draft Malik Willis
The Ben Roethlisberger era is over for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This team has not really had to look hard or seriously at the quarterback position since the early 2000s, but without Roethlisberger, the offseason priority list starts under center.
It sounds like one of the “worst kept secrets” at the 2022 Senior Bowl in Mobile was the Steelers’ affinity for Liberty quarterback Malik Willis.
Willis is certainly a dynamic option at the quarterback position and someone that could bring a completely new style of play to the Pittsburgh offense.
The Steelers have been going up against Lamar Jackson for the past handful of years and have seen just how dangerous a dynamic threat like that at the QB position can be.
Malik Willis may be a big-time risk in terms of where his decision-making is currently at, but he also looks like the type of QB that could absolutely thrive and become a superstar in the right environment.
The Steelers are undoubtedly a program that believes in its environment. They have the right pieces in place in terms of playmakers on offense to support a player like Willis.
They might have to trade up for him to secure him, but if they can address the offensive line in free agency I think moving up for a QB becomes a legitimate possibility for GM Kevin Colbert in his final draft on the job.
Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow
Clearly, the Cincinnati Bengals are in a great spot with Joe Burrow.
Unfortunately, this is the second offseason in a row that he’s going into with rehab for his knee on the docket.
An injury in the Super Bowl didn’t result in long-term complications for Burrow’s knee — it’s apparently just a sprain — but seeing number nine on the ground against the Rams and writhing in pain is going to be the driving force of the Bengals’ entire 2022 offseason.
They need to invest heavily in the offensive line, and I think they will.
Burrow has quickly become one of the most impactful quarterbacks in the entire NFL.
He’s a magician at escaping pressure in the pocket. His game went to another level this past season with Ja’Marr Chase in the fold and it helped unlock things for Tee Higgins on the other side of the field as well.
Burrow has quickly established himself as one of the top young quarterbacks in a league that is quickly becoming full of guys (especially in the AFC) that will drive the next generation of football.
Again, the Bengals need to do whatever it takes to protect Burrow this offseason. His future and the future of the franchise depend on it.
2022 NFL quarterback predictions for the NFC North
Minnesota Vikings: Trade for Baker Mayfield
As we spoiled earlier with the Cleveland Browns trading for Kirk Cousins, this kind of move could make some sense.
The Minnesota Vikings don’t need a total rebuild and reset, but defensively, we might see them try to accumulate assets and reload on that side of the ball.
Trading Kirk Cousins for Baker Mayfield probably wouldn’t be a straight-up trade given Cousins’ recent production compared to Mayfield’s, so the Vikings might be able to get some draft picks in addition to Mayfield coming back.
Again, this is all hypothetical, but thinking from the Vikings’ perspective here, trading Cousins for Mayfield could make quite a bit of sense.
With a new head coach (Kevin O’Connell) and GM (Kwesi Adofo-Mensah), the Vikings probably aren’t diving headfirst into title contention. They have pieces, but they need some re-tooling. O’Connell has a connection to Cousins from their time overlapping in Washington, but does that mean that hiring O’Connell is connected to Cousins? I’m not so sure.
For the time being, Cousins is a valuable asset to them and with a player like Mayfield coming back in return, the Vikings could really keep one eye on the future.
It’s not like Mayfield has been an absolute hack for the Browns, either. He’s a former top overall draft choice who might thrive with a change of scenery.
Again, this trade is not guaranteed to happen, by any means, but it would certainly be fascinating, wouldn’t it?
Chicago Bears: Justin Fields
Is anyone else surprised the Chicago Bears didn’t go with an offensive-centric head coach to replace Matt Nagy?
After the struggles we saw from Justin Fields in his rookie season — and they were many — it seemed obvious the Bears needed to get the right offensive mind in town to work with Fields and get his game back on the right track.
Instead, they went with Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus who hired Luke Getsy from the Green Bay Packers as his offensive coordinator.
That was a pretty big get for Eberflus, corny pun fully intended.
Getsy has been a wide receivers coach and QBs coach for the Packers where he obviously worked with Aaron Rodgers and worked under the Matt LaFleur coaching tree.
The Packers’ coaching staff was very collaborative offensively and Getsy has called plays before, albeit at the college level, so Chicago fans should probably feel pretty good about this move for the time being.
Getsy and Fields will be tied together and the Bears’ decision to hire Eberflus over everyone else will certainly loom large in Fields’ career.
The fact that the Bears hired away from the Chiefs’ front office to bring in Ryan Poles as their new GM and did not hire Eric Bieniemy as their head coach with a young QB in place is fascinating, especially given the work Bieniemy and the Chiefs were able to do with Patrick Mahomes.
Detroit Lions: Jared Goff and a rookie
The Detroit Lions are in year two of a massive rebuilding project.
Lucky for Jared Goff, those checks are going to clear no matter how good the team is.
Goff is a trooper for coming to Detroit in the blockbuster trade that went down last offseason, and now he had to sit at home while his former team won it all.
Imagine the flood of emotions for Goff as he watched the Rams’ plan to upgrade over him come to fruition.
At any rate, Goff can only control what he can control. He has to play better if he wants to remain a starter in the NFL for the long term, and the Lions need to better surround him with talent going forward.
I don’t think Detroit is going to heavily prioritize the QB position in the 2022 NFL Draft or free agency, but they might use that 32nd overall pick to grab someone. I didn’t name anyone specifically at the top here, but I kind of like the idea of a dart throw on Carson Strong for Detroit.
Strong has a big arm and can spread the ball around. He’s got some nice upside even without elite mobility or athleticism.
Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love & trade for Gardner Minshew
The Green Bay Packers’ time to move on from Aaron Rodgers has come.
There’s obviously not any sort of guarantee of this and the Packers have tried to repair their relationship with the reigning back-to-back MVP.
Ultimately, will that really be enough?
Rodgers’ issues seem much more deeply rooted than the front office giving in to a trade for Randall Cobb, but maybe I’m misreading the situation.
The Packers did invest in Jordan Love. They have to have had some kind of plan in place that included the possibility of Aaron Rodgers leaving or retiring by this point.
There are some who believe the Packers will figure out a way to resolve their issues with Rodgers and make him the highest-paid player in league history. If that was the issue, though, wouldn’t it be done already?
I suppose time will tell.
For the purposes of this exercise, let’s get crazy and predict that Rodgers is traded. Where? We’ll talk more about that later.
With Jordan Love stepping into a starting role, I think the Packers would be wise to make a deal for another QB and Gardner Minshew is pretty underrated. He’s a backup for the Eagles right now but I think he’s good enough to start for someone.
If Love is shaky or just flat-out bad, Minshew could step in and be an intriguing dart throw for Matt LaFleur’s team.
2022 NFL quarterback predictions for the NFC South
Atlanta Falcons: Matt Ryan and Draft Desmond Ridder
The Atlanta Falcons are undoubtedly stuck with Matt Ryan for another season.
I know his name continually pops up in some trade rumors, but I will not believe any of that until I see it. It’s just too cost-prohibitive for the Falcons at this point.
Ryan would need to re-do his contract to facilitate a trade so nothing is impossible, I just don’t see it as overly likely.
With that being said, I’m not so sure the Falcons really enjoy just spinning their wheels with Ryan under center at this point. Circumstances haven’t been ideal for him in recent years but it doesn’t feel like Ryan is the same QB was when this team reached the Super Bowl a handful of years ago.
For that reason, I think the Falcons need to put one eye on the future this offseason and go after someone in round two or three of the 2022 NFL Draft.
In this post, I’m specifically picking Desmond Ridder as that guy.
Ridder has dual-threat abilities, a lot of experience at the college level, and he could be a very intriguing fit for this Falcons team under Arthur Smith.
Ridder is not every draft expert’s favorite cup of tea, but I expect NFL teams are really going to like him a lot and he could be the right type of dart throw at the position for Atlanta.
New Orleans Saints: Re-sign Jameis Winston, Draft Matt Corral
This would be the all-injury risk QB group for the New Orleans Saints in 2022.
Jameis Winston was playing really well for this team before an ACL injury that prematurely ended his season. With Sean Payton gone, how much will that impact Winston’s decision of whether or not to re-sign with the Saints?
As of the time of this writing, the Saints don’t have an offensive coordinator. Whoever new head coach Dennis Allen picks for that job is going to play a factor in whether or not Winston is retained, but that is still a move that makes sense on paper.
The Saints won’t be able to shove all their chips in the middle of the Jameis Winston table, however. They are going to need a contingency and maybe an expensive one in terms of draft capital.
Although Matt Corral is also coming off of an injury, I like the idea of the Ole Miss starter going to the Saints and giving them a playmaker at the position.
Corral was put in some really favorable positions by the Ole Miss coaching staff but his talent is translatable with some time to develop.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Trade for Carson Wentz
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers strike again on the veteran QB market.
Carson Wentz is coming off a solid season for the Colts statistically, but it was ultimately his erratic play that led to Indianapolis missing the playoffs.
The Colts don’t seem to be overly thrilled about it and Wentz might be getting scapegoated a bit here.
I am not sold that the Colts put him in the best position in terms of weapons in the passing game to get the ball to.
Maybe Wentz just is what he is at this point, but for a team like the Buccaneers, he might be one of the better options available.
The Bucs have a lot of free agents to consider re-signing. They don’t have the best draft capital of any team in the league.
There are certainly better quarterbacks that could come available on this circuit but realistically, who would the Bucs be able to go after?
They might not settle for Wentz, ultimately, but Wentz is going to wind up somewhere and the Bucs are a pretty good situation. Bruce Arians remains the head coach and Byron Leftwich is sticking around as well.
With no Tom Brady in Tampa Bay anymore, a move is going to have to be made and we could see Wentz return to the NFC in 2022.
Carolina Panthers: Draft Kenny Pickett
I’m not coming too far off this prediction for the time being.
The connections between the Carolina Panthers and Kenny Pickett are obvious at this point. Everyone knows that Pickett once committed to play for Matt Rhule when Rhule was the head coach at Temple.
Even though Pickett de-committed from the Owls and wound up becoming a Pitt Panther, I think Rhule would still love to have him as his quarterback today.
The Panthers made a bold (should we call it bold?) trade for Sam Darnold last offseason, banking on his potential, and through the first three games of the 2021 season it looked like they made a great decision there.
Fast forward through the final 14 games of the 2021 season and that trade looks like an ugly mistake.
If the Panthers don’t have a clear solution at the QB position by the end of the 2022 season, Rhule and his staff will probably be let go. That’s the unfortunate reality of things.
They’ve been aggressive and borderline reckless with their draft capital, so they have to get this selection right.
Pickett has flaws in his game but he’s tough, he’s got a lot of experience under his belt, and it sounds like he blew teams away in the interview process at the 2022 Senior Bowl.
2022 NFL quarterback predictions for the AFC South
Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence
Save Trevor.
Help us Doug Pederson, you’re our only hope.
The Jacksonville Jaguars dodged a bullet with the Urban Meyer hire, at least for the time being. That hire was a disaster from the very start and an extremely unwise move by Jacksonville management.
Now, somehow, the team has backed into a situation where they were able to hire the only coach on the open market who has won a Super Bowl as a head coach in the league.
And he did it recently.
Doug Pederson gets plenty of flak but he was a good coach who built a pretty darn good staff in Philadelphia. He’s now going to be tasked with getting Trevor Lawrence on the right track, and I think Jaguars fans should feel pretty good about the situation they are now in.
Just like a number of other young quarterbacks on this list, the Jaguars need to do everything in their power to make the situation around Lawrence better. They have an opportunity to invest in the offensive line early and often in the 2022 NFL Draft and I think we’ll see them take that opportunity.
Indianapolis Colts: Sign Teddy Bridgewater, Draft Sam Howell
I can feel the moaning and groaning from Indianapolis Colts fans already.
Teddy Bridgewater? Sam Howell? Is that even much of an upgrade from Carson Wentz?
It’s debatable. You have to wonder first and foremost why rumors of the Colts trading Wentz are popping up at all unless they just don’t want to continue down that path at all.
Given the fact that there are only so many options available (that we know of) in the 2022 offseason, the Colts might be looking at this year’s draft class and free agency as legitimate options for them to upgrade over Wentz.
For a season, Teddy Bridgewater can be fine. He will be just as good at handing the ball off to Jonathan Taylor as a lot of quarterbacks would, and he’s much more conservative in his style of play than Carson Wentz.
Adding Bridgewater would allow the Colts to perhaps achieve a bit more consistency offensively as they develop Sam Howell.
Howell, in this scenario, could actually wind up as the starting QB week one.
How would the Colts wind up with Howell? Well, they would obviously be getting some additional capital for trading Carson Wentz and they could parlay that to move up for the former UNC star.
Houston Texans: Davis Mills
Although their search for a new head coach was extensive, you can’t help but feel like the Houston Texans made the right call by keeping some continuity from their 2021 staff with the hiring of Lovie Smith as head coach and the promotion for QB coach Pep Hamilton to offensive coordinator.
Davis Mills showed some serious flashes in 2021 that he can play in this league. After barely playing at all when he was at Stanford, Mills looked like he had a solid command of the Houston offense last year.
He played so well, in fact, that I think many were surprised the team decided to fire David Culley without an obvious replacement in mind.
Considering how well Davis Mills played in place of Deshaun Watson, the Texans and general manager Nick Caserio might actually have something brewing.
I think they can afford to trade Watson for a bounty of picks, perhaps putting an emphasis on future selections, and position themselves to be aggressive in 2023 when the rookie class is expected to be better.
That will allow them to give Davis Mills the 2022 season to show if he can be a viable long-term option or not.
Tennessee Titans: Ryan Tannehill
The Tennessee Titans have won a lot of games since they inserted Ryan Tannehill into the starting lineup back in 2019.
They were the number one overall seed in the AFC this past season.
Mike Vrabel was the NFL’s coach of the year in 2021.
This team endured so many injuries it’s not even funny.
So why, then, does it feel like they are stuck with Ryan Tannehill at the QB position?
There’s always a way out in the NFL, if you’re willing to pay the price. With that being said, I don’t think the Titans are going to try and get out of their pact with Ryan Tannehill and for whatever reason, that feels like a limiter on this team.
Maybe Tannehill will prove us all wrong and get the Titans over the top this next year after they have done some damage in the regular season and playoffs each of the last three seasons, but I’m not so sure.
Tannehill is a former first-round pick who is certainly talented. He’s proven with the Titans that he can stay healthy.
It’s just tough to see this Tennessee team as a threat in the AFC unless circumstances are perfect, but you’ve got to respect how well he’s played since coming to the Titans in 2019.
2022 NFL Quarterback predictions for the NFC West
Los Angeles Rams: Matthew Stafford
Of all the trades the Los Angeles Rams have made in the last six years — and they have made a lot of them — the Matthew Stafford trade will go down as easily the best and certainly the biggest bargain.
For the price of a few draft picks that are borderline negligible and Jared Goff, the Los Angeles Rams got the guy who could take them over the top into the victor’s circle.
Matthew Stafford wasn’t perfect all season long. He wasn’t perfect in the Super Bowl.
But he was exactly what the Rams needed.
Stafford’s arrival in Los Angeles has given the Rams a legitimate chance to compete for a long period of time. The fact that he started off his time with the Rams as a Super Bowl Champion is a sign of great things to come, and honestly, it’s easy to see things getting even better for this squad.
The Rams will have Robert Woods back in the fold in 2022. They can upgrade at the tight end position. They will need to do some reshuffling on the offensive line with Andrew Whitworth riding off into the sunset, but there is potential here for the Rams to put together a little dynasty if they can keep the core of this roster intact.
Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray
What is going on with the Arizona Cardinals and Kyler Murray?
Murray has deleted all traces of the Arizona Cardinals off of his social media, which usually isn’t a great sign of health in any relationship.
If Murray is truly upset with the Cardinals and demands a trade, the Cardinals are frankly under no obligation to give in to his request.
My theory is that Murray is in the beginning stages of warning the Cardinals that he wants a long-term deal sooner rather than later and if he doesn’t get it, he’ll put up a fuss.
It may not be the best way to go about things, but it’s certainly one way to do it.
Murray and the Cardinals are legitimate Super Bowl contenders when they are firing on all cylinders. General manager Steve Keim has been very aggressive in recent years trying to find all of the right pieces and get the right people in place to have this franchise be competitive in the very tough NFC West.
So far, the Cardinals have certainly been competitive, but they’re falling short in the playoffs still.
The 2021 offseason won’t exactly be peaceful for Cardinals fans as the drama with Murray unfolds, but ultimately, I think he will end up under center for Kliff Kingsbury and company in 2022.
San Francisco 49ers: Trey Lance
This is why the San Francisco 49ers moved all of that draft capital in 2021 to get Trey Lance, right?
The writing is on the wall and Jimmy Garoppolo will be traded at some point in the near future. Who knows how much longer things will move behind the scenes before that actually happens but the 49ers will find Jimmy G. a new home soon enough.
After Garoppolo is traded, this team will be Trey Lance’s team.
The rookie out of North Dakota State played sparingly this past season but that was always the plan.
He will now bring his elite dual-threat abilities to the field in Kyle Shanahan’s offense every week, and the best-case scenario for this is scary for the rest of the NFL.
Lance is an outstanding runner, but he’s also got a cannon for an arm.
With the 49ers, he’s got some big-time weapons to get the ball to and none more big-time than Deebo Samuel, who emerged as one of the top offensive weapons in the entire NFL this past season.
Lance should be a lot of fun to watch this coming season.
Seattle Seahawks: Trade for Daniel Jones, sign Marcus Mariota
Let’s get a little wild in the upper Northwest, shall we?
As many Seahawks fans I’m sure were happy to see in this post, we traded Russell Wilson to the New York Giants in this prediction post.
If the Seahawks trade Russell Wilson to the Giants, they are undoubtedly going to be getting that prime NFL Draft real estate in return. The Giants have multiple top-10 picks and my guess is if a trade goes down, both of those picks would be going back to Seattle and then some.
Additionally, I could see the Giants sending back Daniel Jones as a one-year dart throw at QB for the Seahawks, and they could do worse than that.
Jones hasn’t had good coaching so far in his NFL career and there’s hope for him yet with Brian Daboll on the staff in New York. In Seattle, Jones wouldn’t exactly be stepping into the top offensive program in the league but certainly a better situation than the one he’s been in to start his career.
The Seahawks wouldn’t just put all their eggs in the Daniel Jones basket, however. In this scenario, I like the idea of Marcus Mariota returning to this region of the country to try and recapture some of the magic we saw from him at Oregon.
Mariota is a dual-threat who has had the last couple of years working as a backup with the Raiders. He may be ready for a starting role again in 2022 and the Seahawks without Russell Wilson could be a good spot for him.
2022 NFL quarterback predictions for the AFC West
Las Vegas Raiders: Trade for Jimmy Garoppolo
This seems like a satirical jab at Josh McDaniels, but I promise it’s not.
I hold Jimmy Garoppolo in much higher regard than many, and I think the situation for him in Las Vegas is very intriguing.
Of course, there are ties to McDaniels who was once Garoppolo’s offensive coordinator with the New England Patriots.
McDaniels and other Patriots assistants have proven through the years that they like to get their guys at the QB position, regardless of what kind of situation they are stepping into.
I can see the Raiders as being a pretty palatable destination for Garoppolo given his history with McDaniels and some of the weapons they have on offense like Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow.
Garoppolo has helped the 49ers reach the NFC Championship twice in the last three seasons, and although winning is a team stat, Garoppolo has stretches of play that certainly contribute to his team getting into the NFL’s final four. He’s not just riding the coattails of a dominant defense, by any means.
With the right coaching and game-planning, Garoppolo is an effective QB. With the projected trade of Derek Carr earlier in this piece, this is the direction I would see the Raiders heading.
Denver Broncos: Trade for Aaron Rodgers
Are the Denver Broncos going to be able to pull off a legendary move in the 2022 offseason?
This year will mark the 10 year anniversary of John Elway signing Peyton Manning in free agency, so in a way it would be very fitting if the Broncos were able to go out and trade for Rodgers who is coming off of back-to-back MVP awards.
Rodgers will dictate what his NFL future holds this offseason, and his decision should be coming rather quickly, as he has acknowledged he doesn’t want to hold any teams hostage.
He will be the first massive domino to fall in the 2022 offseason whether he decides to return to Green Bay or demand a trade, and haven’t the Denver Broncos done a lot to add fuel to this particular fire?
They hired Nathaniel Hackett as their head coach, the former Packers offensive coordinator and someone that Rodgers really vouches for.
They hired another Green Bay assistant in Justin Outten as their new OC. They brought in Ben Steele as an assistant offensive line coach. Steele was the first player to ever catch an NFL touchdown pass from Rodgers back in the 2005 preseason.
The Broncos have plenty of draft capital and cap space to facilitate a move, they are just waiting on Rodgers at this point to make the call.
Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes
The Kansas City Chiefs might be penciled in for the NFL’s final four every single year for the foreseeable future.
Doesn’t it just feel like the AFC is going to run through Kansas City as long as no. 15 is healthy?
That’s probably how it feels to the majority of teams in the AFC, anyway.
Mahomes is a game-changer of the highest quality. He’s as good as they come and seemingly just getting better.
The thought of the Chiefs actually upgrading their roster every given offseason is terrifying in and of itself. Even the Buffalo Bills, who were able to put up 36 points on the road in the playoffs against the Chiefs, couldn’t close the deal against Mahomes with just 13 seconds left in regulation.
The Chiefs barely needed any time at all to get down the field and into field goal range to tie things up.
Mahomes is that kind of player that you just can’t count him out no matter what. The Chiefs don’t have to think about this position for the next decade as long as Mahomes keeps staying healthy.
Los Angeles Chargers: Justin Herbert
The Los Angeles Chargers have an MVP candidate on their hands.
Justin Herbert was the QB3 of his own draft class back in 2020, and other teams are probably kicking themselves for not taking him now.
Herbert has quickly ascended into one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and if the Chargers can address some other issues on their roster, this team is going to actually become a Super Bowl contender.
You can see the Chargers quickly becoming another version of the Buffalo Bills with an absolute unicorn of a talent at QB as well as a young, talented roster all around him.
Obviously, the quarterback position is not going to be an area the Chargers emphasize in the 2022 offseason with Herbert in place.
He’s a superstar.
The rest of the AFC West is looking at the Chargers and Chiefs as the two favorites to dominate the division and maybe the conference for the foreseeable future with how good their QB play is.
The Chargers need to get Herbert some better protection in the 2022 offseason, and I think that’s what we’ll see them really prioritize.
2022 NFL quarterback predictions: Recap of player movement
AFC East
New England Patriots: Mac Jones
New York Jets: Zach Wilson
Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen
Miami Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa
AFC North
Pittsburgh Steelers: Malik Willis (2022 NFL Draft)
Baltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson
Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow
Cleveland Browns: Kirk Cousins (trade with Vikings)
AFC South
Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence
Tennessee Titans: Ryan Tannehill
Houston Texans: Davis Mills
Indianapolis Colts: Teddy Bridgewater (free agent)
AFC West
Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes
Los Angeles Chargers: Justin Herbert
Las Vegas Raiders: Jimmy Garoppolo
Denver Broncos: Aaron Rodgers
NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles: Deshaun Watson (trade)
Washington Commanders: Derek Carr (trade)
Dallas Cowboys: Dak Prescott
New York Giants: Russell Wilson (trade)
NFC North
Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love & Gardner Minshew (trade)
Minnesota Vikings: Baker Mayfield (trade)
Chicago Bears: Justin Fields
Detroit Lions: Jared Goff & Rookie
NFC South
Carolina Panthers: Kenny Pickett (NFL Draft)
Atlanta Falcons: Matt Ryan & Desmond Ridder (NFL Draft)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Carson Wentz (trade)
New Orleans Saints: Jameis Winston & Matt Corral (NFL Draft)
NFC West
Seattle Seahawks: Daniel Jones (trade) & Marcus Mariota (free agent)
Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray
Los Angeles Rams: Matthew Stafford
San Francisco 49ers: Trey Lance
There could be quite a bit of quarterback movement across the entire NFL in the 2022 offseason.
This post was an exercise in predicting borderline maximum movement of the quarterbacks around the league and is not meant to be taken as the scenario of all scenarios. However, it’s possible we could see a number of these moves happen and there are plenty of alternate possibilities for individual teams and players to explore in the coming weeks.